


Bride of the Beast

by greyjediwriter



Series: The Thorn Trinity [1]
Category: Damien (TV), The Omen (Movies)
Genre: Antichrist, Antichrist Damien Thorn, Horror, Mentions of Mass Shooting, Religious Horror, Satanic Horror, Some Romance, some gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-18 23:05:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16128569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyjediwriter/pseuds/greyjediwriter
Summary: Lily Kemp dwells under dark clouds, wondering when she’ll be struck with lightning or tragedy. It seems to fade when she comes near Damien Thorn, but terror strikes when she’s around him. When she discovers a horrifying truth about Damien’s boss, Lily and her friends realize the strikes of terror may not be Damien’s fault and that he may actually be in danger. As Lily tries to discover the full truth, not only more horrors land in her path, but a growing love for Damien forms. Will she be able to save Damien… or will she be too late?





	1. Dark Clouds Hanging

**Author's Note:**

> This story has haunted me for a long time. The original Omen trilogy scared the hell out of me when I watched all three of them in a single day during AMC's Horror Movie Marathon at age 11. For years, the number of the beast scared me, but a horrifying tale started to brew as I was entering college. Then, in 2016, the show Damien came along and was cancelled right after the season finale aired. Yes, it did have its flaws and ratings drop that led to the cancellation, but it was a compelling story to my eyes that ended on a cliffhanger. I needed to know what happened next. With the idea I had that was inspired by the original movie, I saw the opportunity to bring the two together. 
> 
> Here is now that story.

October 27, 2019, 10:30 p.m., New York City

Lily placed the rest of the ritual supplies into Raven’s car. Her long, chestnut hair fell in front of her eyes as she leaned down to grab the gigantic supply box. She secured it tightly, its darkened oak with an emerald pentagram etched onto its lid glowing in the lamplight. Raven would have a heart attack if there were dents in the table she desperately tried to keep pristine. Hell, Lily was grateful that the coven didn’t have to walk far from the rustic shelter deep in the park to bring the table in and out. The table may have been small, but it still weighed a ton for someone Lily’s size. How Raven was able to get a parking spot that close to Central Park without any problems was beyond her.

Her heart sank back into the pit of her stomach, making her pause. She attempted to word what was going on – in her gut, but mostly in her head. It wasn’t the idea of getting home late because that was something a New Yorker had to deal with on a daily basis. Sometimes she didn’t get home for hours after work ended due to awful traffic. She had to park her own car all the way on 5th Avenue, but that was something she dealt with every month. This feeling, whatever it was, started earlier in the day and seemed to be getting worse as the hours passed. It was as if her mind wanted to warn her about something. Or someone…

She slammed the car trunk shut.

Raven’s head popped up from the front. Her long, dark hair breezing in the slight wind. “You feeling okay?” Her heels clicked against the pavement. “You’ve been out of it all day.”

Lily averted her gaze to the top of the park’s walls. She hated it when her sister caught on with very little to go on. “You only saw me this morning and before we came here.”

“Even Chantico noticed something was wrong during the ritual,” she replied. She shut her car and stepped closer. “What’s going on, Lily?”

Lily lifted her head up to the sky, waiting for an answer there. “I don’t know. I’ve been feeling… strange.”

Raven shrugged. “Maybe depression is kicking in? Dr. Rhodes said that could happen after a certain amount of time.”

Another set of heels clicked towards them. Their friend Chantico gave a knowing look. “Your destiny is coming upon you, Lilia, and it’s a big one,” she stated, the Spanish lilt coming through her words. She leaned herself on the car trunk, and her graying hair shined against the lamplights. Her presence evoked a calm and warm positivity. Smiles broadened on everyone’s faces just by her walking into a room.

This was the rare time that her presence didn’t invoke a smile on Lily’s face. “My destiny?” she asked. Chantico nodded. Laughter bubbled up in her stomach. “I may be a Wiccan, but I don’t believe in destiny.”

Chantico swore under her breath. “How are you such a skeptic? You can literally heal people.”

“Hey,” Lily pointed her finger in defense, “I know I can do that because my mom felt her ankle heal up. I just need to figure out how it works.” She shoved her hands into her pockets. “Besides, if destiny was a real thing, that means Mom was meant to die in Damascus.”

“Yeah…” Raven replied. Her eyes turned to the sky, and Lily knew she was searching for a single bright star that was nowhere to be found. “How could someone so kind be taken so soon, so far away?”

“It’s something that always happens,” Chantico responded as her hand slashed the air. “Trust me, I’ve seen so many deaths throughout my five decades of life, and it’s always the good ones that go first. That’s why most people you meet are bitter and hollow – the awful ones survive until the end.”

“And you don’t know they’re bitter until time passes,” Raven responded. She shook her head. “If I knew that my father was a psychotic bible thumper who only cares about me being under his control sooner, I would have run away from home at a younger age. One doesn’t realize how they’re being treated until it’s almost too late.”

“Funny how you can tell whether someone’s a good person or not with a single glance,” Lily said.

Raven pointed her finger at Lily, as if she begged to differ. “A blessing in disguise. A Goddess given gift, just like your healing powers.”

Chantico nudged Lily’s shoulder. “How about you ask Kirana to give you a reading? Maybe she’ll have the answers to what’s going on.”

“Cards won’t tell me anything,” Lily replied. “I need definitive answers, and tarot won’t give it.”

“Tell me what’s on your mind. Describe the feelings, even. Maybe I can give you answers before I head home.”

She slid onto the car bumper, the dread pushing on her like a weight. She never really tried to word what she was feeling, but maybe it will give her the answer she needs. “It’s… like a dark cloud hanging over me, waiting to strike me or come down like a fog. Or something like that.” She gazed at the sky. Not a cloud in sight – the few stars that can pass through the toxic haze of New York glittered in the dark expanse, but none shined brighter than the others.

When Lily’s mom passed away, it said in her will that she’ll be watching over them like a star. When she and Raven needed her most, they only had to look up into the night sky to find the brightest star in the sky. When they saw it, they knew that Sarah was there with them – watching over them from the heavens. Her mom still wasn’t watching tonight. “I should meditate on it or sleep to see if it’ll go away.” She breathed – she wasn’t taking a deep enough breath either.

Chantico’s smile grew gentle and sympathetic. “I still think destiny is upon you, Lilia. I shall pray to my ancestors while I’m down in _Méjico_.”

“Thanks,” Lily replied. She and Raven hugged their friend goodbye. “Safe travels.”

Chantico hailed the next taxi and waved them goodbye.

Raven overreached her arms and wrapped Lily in her arms. Lily squirmed as Raven rocked her from side to side. “Dear little sister, this isn’t something that can be cured with sleep. I’m very sure you’re depressed… It has been three years since Mom died.”

Lily froze. Three years already? Three years since Lily came back home from the Philharmonic concert. Three years since the phone rang. Three years since her mother was buried six feet under in the graveyard near home. She sighed. “I don’t know. But it feels like she’s never truly gone. Like she’s always near me.”

“Maybe she is. Wish I could say the same.” She headed for the driver’s seat but turned back to Lily. “You sure you don’t want to join me and Thor for drinks?”

“Yeah,” Lily said. “I need to finish up reviews for tomorrow’s evening edition. Shouldn’t be trashed and give an okay for a badly typed article.”

Raven stepped into her car. “Tell me when you’re going to something I’m able to go to. I don’t want you to suffer alone if the band’s awful.”

Lily started walking. “Going to something tomorrow, but the band will actually be good,” she told her. The look on her sister’s face said enough. “I’ll text you the details. Info’s still at work.”

“Be careful walking to your car!” Raven’s voice filled with wariness.

Lily heard what she meant behind those words. “I’ll be fine.” Lily was one of the best women in her last self-defense class, so anyone trying to jump her will get what they asked for. Still, she may have to deal with catcallers as she gets to the garage. Raven, on the other hand, hasn’t gone to classes for the past few months. “You should head back there too instead of getting a piece of Thor’s ass!”

“Hey, at least I have a good reason!” Raven shouted. “You’ll remember when you get a boyfriend again! Hopefully when you’re heading home.”

Lily turned backwards and pouted at Raven. “Yeah, like I’m going to bump into the guy I’m going to date next on the way home!” She continued walking backwards. “Aren’t you supposed to be at a bar getting shitfaced and then fucking a hot guy until dawn?”

Raven flipped her off with a pristine smile. “Love you, sis!”

“Love you, too!” Lily turned back around and raised her hand behind her head, middle finger flipping toward her sister.

She walked down 5th Avenue as she listened to the Halloween parties thumping in the apartments above with random bursts of jazz and Broadway to combat it. She always found it strange that parties still occurred on Sunday nights despite many people having to work in the morning. She noticed it every time a holiday came around – parties happened even when inconvenient. Probably college kids – they can handle a hangover like getting out of bed.

One of the doors in Lily’s sight opened, and a smiling guy dressed up as a Roman came out. He waved whoever was inside goodbye and ended up walking towards her. From the noise and crowd inside the lobby, the entire building was having a party. She inched over to the side so she didn’t have to bump into the guy. He seemed to slow down.

And he still bumped into her anyway.

“Really?” Lily said, but she froze as soon as she met his eye level.

The man was _gorgeous_.

Gentle indigo eyes twinkled at her, as if they held all the stars in the sky. A sharp square jaw and chiseled cheekbones framed his face. He wore the typical Roman toga costume, the purple sash to dictate he was royalty, but his broad chest and strong arms were built to compliment it. His dark brown hair was covered by the laurel on top of his head, but it still made him even more beautiful. His lips flushed pink as he opened his mouth.

“Sorry, I just –”

Even just those three words stalled Lily’s heart. His voice was gentle and kind. Her cheeks flushed as he scrunched his lips. Her muscles shivered with intensity yet she stood still. She never had a reaction to a guy like this before and wished she could calm herself down, but him pondering over his next words left her in a haze.

“I’m sorry,” he confessed. “Usually when a guy says hey on the street, the girl naturally runs because she senses the guy’s about to harass her.”

Lily tried to find words to speak, but the last words he said sent her mind to her impending work, and her muscles chilled out. By some miracle, it gave her back the ability to talk. “And… I’m assuming you’re not meaning to harass me?”

His cheeks burned up under the lamplight. “Uh – no! No, not at all! I just couldn’t believe I’d see a beautiful woman walking around here at this hour.”

Lily nodded at him as her heart flipped. “ _Smoooth_. Who taught you that?”

His eyes sparked with amusement, reacting to the tone in Lily’s voice. He slightly eased himself closer to her, and his eyelashes lowered as he gazed at her. “No one. I’m just a natural flirt.”

Her eyebrows shot up. She had a real hard time deciding whether he was actually good at flirting or not. “Oh really? How many dates have you got out of that?”

His shoulders jumped with his laugh, held in and filled with nerves. “None, to tell you the truth. Mind being the first?”

“It depends. You have a name?”

He held his hand out with calm confidence. “Damien Thorn.”

Lily blinked. Distant information popped up into the forefront of her mind. “Wait – the war photographer?”

“You heard of me?” He seemed surprised, but then again, he didn’t know she was a reporter.

Lily nodded, “Yeah, you knew my mom, Sarah Kemp.” She never thought she would meet this man in a million years. He made an impression on Lily’s mom with his work, but he was well known for his ability to get into the heart of the action without a scratch. Some of them considered him as either the bravest or the most reckless war photographer in the business.

His mouth dropped open as recognition took hold. “You’re Lily. How did I not recognize you?”

“Must be my makeup. The picture Mom always had on her didn’t have me with a smoky eye,” she smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.” She shook his hand. “She told me the crazy things you’ve done while she was reporting in Syria.”

“She told me many things about you. She said that you were bright and talented, and you would either become a musician or a concert reviewer.”

Her heart blossomed with warmth. “I’m now a reviewer at the Times,” she giggled. “I’m going to be reporting on the current culture of the music industry in light of the Time’s Up movement in a few weeks.”

He blinked. “Wow, that’s amazing. I’m sure she’s proud.”

Her heart pulsed in her ear. She had to do this all over again, even after three years. She stared down at her shoes, but she had to tell him. With a breath, she raised her head and shoved her panic down. “Um, she… she passed away.”

Damien flinched at the news, his eyes filled with apologies. “I’m so sorry, Lily. When?”

“June sixth was three years,” she replied. “There was a military attack in the Christian quarter of Damascus, and she got caught in the crossfire.”

He shut his eyes tight. “Oh man… I was in the same place that day. My birthday, no less. I ended up getting hauled away by military and got kicked out of the country. I don’t know how I didn’t hear of her passing.”

“We wanted to keep it on the down low,” she said. “Didn’t want to be interviewed because of it. Mom wouldn’t have wanted me to, anyway.” Steam puffed out of her mouth as she sighed. The cold seeped through her leather jacket, and she noticed he didn’t have a jacket of any kind. “Aren’t you freezing?”

He tilted his hand. “I’m used to it.”

Why did she get the feeling he was hot all the time?

The door Damien came out of burst open and drunk-fueled gladiators ran out. Damien rushed Lily over to the curb so the partiers would run down the street without coming near them. They watched them hoot and growl down the street. “I’m assuming that’s why you left?” Lily asked.

“One of them,” Damien replied. “I’m also trying to stay away from an old ex. She keeps on trying to get back with me.”

“Well, let me know if you want to go somewhere where she won’t be.” She yanked herself farther into the sidewalk. “I should get home. Don’t need my sister freaking out.”

“Raven, right?”

Lily nodded with pride. “I’m surprised how well you know me. And we just met.”

He came up to her. “Well, would it be too much to ask to get to know you more?” His indigo eyes crinkled with pleading.

Lily giggled. She knew right then and there that those puppy eyes will get her to do anything he asked. “It’s not too much to ask.” A light bulb turned on in her head – _the concert_. How convenient. “I’m going to see a band and interviewing them tomorrow. Wanna join me? You could meet my sister, too.”

His face brightened. “Uhh - yeah, sounds like fun! Mind if I get your number?”

Lily takes her phone out. “Tell me yours.” He gave her the digits, and she texted him. He took his phone out, smiling at the wink emoji. “I’ll let you know the details tomorrow.”

Damien chuckled, “All right. I’ll see you later.”

“Nice to finally meet you, Damien Thorn,” Lily said. She turned away, hands in her pockets, and walked down the street with more confidence than she had earlier.

Damien Thorn… she never thought she would ever meet him. Her mom wasn’t kidding when she said that he was an absolute dreamboat. Considering his work in war photography, Lily thought he would still be in the middle east covering what’s happening over there. Maybe it will mean she will get to see more of him, puppy eyes and all. It was strange, she hadn’t felt like this in a long time. It felt like… _the time before the dark clouds formed over her_. Happy, being able to breathe without a mental weight on her shoulders. Was it because of Damien or the fact that she has a date with a hot guy tomorrow?

Her phone goes off.

_**Raven:** Why aren't you at your car?_

Lily stopped in her tracks. She bit her lips and raised her head up to the sky. A single star shined brightly right above her. Oh, how the world creates irony. She dialed Raven and continued walking.

Raven picked up midway through the first ring. Sounds from a bar overwhelmed the speaker. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing’s wrong, I'm still heading to my car. But remember when I said I wouldn’t find the next guy I would date on the way home?”

******

Lily entered her house on 236th Street. Not a single object stirred since she left. She relaxed at the lack of cars honking and police sirens. Her anxiety always went up when there was too much noise, all hints of chaos if she was being honest with herself. She checked her reflection in the nearby mirror, and her hair was a winded mess. Her smoky eye slightly smudged more than she wanted it to around her grass green eyes. Thankfully, the foundation didn’t wear off since she applied it that morning. Still, she had to take it all off before she checked the articles that were due in the morning.

She plopped herself on the couch and relaxed at the quietness of Woodlawn. The area was calmer than other parts of New York, and it helped that a graveyard rested nearby. The atmosphere always seemed to tone down near a graveyard – peaceful, sometimes gentle. Sometimes Lily headed to her mom’s grave to bring that gentle peace back into herself. The stress of working on constant deadlines and being surrounded by constant clutter brought her to the brink of madness. She could use a visit to her mom to reduce her anxiety about now…

The mint green walls were covered with memories and mementos – most of it being what her mother put up. Endless paintings and historical photos filled the walls, antique clocks decorated here and there, and art statues filled every nook and cranny. Like many families within Woodlawn, Lily’s house and almost everything inside had been within their family for generations. Her mom inherited everything once Lily’s grandparents passed away in a car crash. It was right when she just got her job as a world journalist at the Times, too. Lily inherited the Kemp estate, if one could call it that, three years ago when Sarah passed. She used to weed through all of it and sold or donated the rest when she could. Now, she and Raven needed to see what had to be sold or donated.

Lily slumped farther into the couch… This was still her mom’s house…

_Jinglejinglejingle..._

She froze on the couch. Something moved outside the front door. Nothing stirred in the slightly transparent curtains. She eased herself up and didn’t make a noise. Her hand found her grandfather’s baseball bat from his little league days. The lights were off near the door which proved old habits brought advantage. She rushed to the door and held the bat close up. She squinted into the peephole.

No one stood outside.

_Tinkletinkle!_

It was louder than before. Did whatever it was come up to the porch? Her pulse boomed through her head as she reached for the lock. Please be nothing, _please_ be her imagination…

She swung open the doors and raised the bat up in the air.

No one was there. No one in front of her, near her driveway, nor down by the neighbors.

RUFF!

She almost dropped the bat on her head.

A dog was sitting in front of her, panting with a smile. It barked again, as if it was saying hi. Lily kneeled down to the dog with care. “You lost little guy?” The dog seemed to be friendly, but one never knew when it could turn vicious. Especially since it was a Rottweiler and it clearly had an owner. And that owner may be somewhere out of sight, waiting to command the dog to attack and break into the house. 

The dog flopped its butt into the air and rolled onto its back, begging for a belly rub. “Oh, you’re a girl. My bad.” She raised her head and looked out into the neighborhood. No one was rushing up to the house to attack her. Good. She rubbed the puppy’s belly – at least she thought she was a puppy with how big her paws were. Just that alone melted her heart and started cooing at the dog. “What are ya doing here? Shouldn’t you be back home with your momma and papa?”

The puppy barked at her, and the lights turned on next door. Mrs. McAdams stepped out onto her porch, her graying hair rolled up in curlers and her nightgown covered with a pink bathrobe. “What the hell is that noise?”

Lily stood up. “Sorry, Mrs. McAdams. There’s a lost dog here and she just scared the hell out of me.”

“A lost dog?” the woman said. She came closer, and the puppy got up on her hind legs to see Mrs. McAdams at the porch rail. “Oh, the poor thing! Her owners must be worried sick! I’ll talk around the neighborhood to see if their dog ran off.”

“Thanks, Mrs. McAdams.” She stared at the dog. In just mere seconds, this little puppy was staying in her house for the night, and very possibly for a few weeks. “You wouldn’t happen to have any puppy food, would ya?”

Her kind neighbor chuckled. “Haven’t had puppy chow for almost three years now. Noodles has grown into a big boy. You’re working tomorrow, right?”

Lily stuffed her hands in her pockets. “Yeah, I should be going to bed.”

“Shouldn’t we all. You can let the little one stay with me during the day. That way you can know if she's trained and whatnot. I’ll get some puppy chow for when she’s here tomorrow.”

“Sure. Thanks again.” Mrs. McAdams waved them good night, and the big puppy leaned her head towards Lily. Her heart tugged at the cuteness. “How is it that you little things make yourselves so cute?” She picked up the baseball bat and opened the door. She swung her head toward the house. “Come on, cutie. You can rest next to my feet while I finish articles.”

The dog paddled into the house. At least the puppy understood some commands.

Thunder sounded in the distance, and Lily looked out to the sky. Storms grew overhead, and Lily’s heart sank once again. The clouds brewed in strength, growing at the same rate the weight in Lily’s stomach grew. The singular star shined bright in the sky, but it was in the storm’s trajectory. No lightning struck – as if it was waiting for the proper moment. Something was coming – something big. And whatever it was, it was waiting for a perfect hit.

Whatever Lily’s soul was dreading, it wasn’t over yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! Leave comments and kudos too if you loved it or have constructive criticism. This wasn't beta read in any shape or form, everything was edited by me!
> 
> For those who are highly aware of the original film, Damien does possess green eyes. I decided to go ahead and have Damien's eyes be blue since the last person to portray the character was Bradley James in the Damien TV series. He only dyed his hair for the role. 
> 
> I do have songs in a playlist for the entire story, and the songs for this chapter are:
> 
> The City - Psycho Soundtrack (Bernard Herrmann)  
> On This Night - The Omen Soundtrack (Jerry Goldsmith)  
> King Porter Stomp - BBC Big Band Orchestra  
> Thriller - Michael Jackson  
> (You're the) Devil in Disguise - Elvis Presley  
> A Sad Message - The Omen Soundtrack (Jerry Goldsmith)
> 
> I will be posting chapter playlists at the beginning starting next chapter. That way if you want to get into what the world sounds like, you can! There will also be a full playlist list by the time I finish the fic at the overall endnotes, where I'll add the next chapter's songs with every new entry.
> 
> Keep looking to the stars, everyone! See you next chapter!


	2. Armitage Global

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily has a chance encounter with Damien once again and they start setting up their date, but there's a few problems...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello awesome readers! So glad to see you're interested to see what happens next! Just like the last chapter, I have a playlist of songs to read along to if you wish. Strangely enough, the first song is actually a background ambiance track because this was all that I could hear in my head as I was writing it. That's a first for me because I always want music in the background, but it's always a good thing to broaden their horizons:
> 
> Downtown Traffic (Version 2) - Finnolia Sound Effects  
> The New Ambassador - The Omen Soundtrack (Jerry Goldsmith)  
> A Troubled Conversation - My Bloody Valentine 3D Soundtrack (Michael Wandmacher)  
> Mother Me - Black Swan Soundtrack (Clint Mansell)

October 28, 1:06 p.m., Manhattan

SNAP. SNAP. SNAP.

“Found Dog: Please Contact the Administrative Office of the New York Times to Retrieve Your Pet” stood out in bold lettering with the picture of the puppy. Lily guessed the owners lived in the Bronx, but they may work in Manhattan like she did. Hopefully, they were around Times Square and Bryant Park since those were the only places she could post flyers during her lunch hour. She convinced the people in listings to add the flyer into the morning edition tomorrow and have it in there for a few days at least. She used every source she could think of to try and find the puppy's owners. The final piece of tape stuck onto the streetlight, and the flyer didn’t budge against the wind. She checked her phone - forty minutes until she had to clock back in.

A sense of pride blossomed in her lungs, but she coughed up pollution from the parked garbage truck just a few feet away. She forgot it was garbage day in that part of the city. She usually avoided the areas that had piles of garbage like the plague. Her slate-gray coat flapped open against the wind, the cold instantly biting through her clothes. She yanked the flap back into place, but her body clenched to keep itself warm. The start of winter was making itself known.

“Lily!”

She turned toward the southern block.

Damien waved at her in a designer suit and a blazing smile. Once again, Damien didn’t possess a coat whatsoever. How he wasn’t freezing was beyond Lily’s comprehension. He picked up the pace as if he begged to differ. Then again, he may not have wanted her to wait long to make it awkward.

Her heartbeat rose as he got closer, but her body shivered as the wind picked up even more. She made herself think she was on a warm beach in St. Lucia, and her body returned with some resilience to the cold. “I’m surprised you recognized me," she said, trying to sound as normal as possible. "I was going to text you when I got back to work.”

“I just happened to see you,” he said rushing up to her. “And I would recognize you anywhere.” Lily glowered at him, and his face and neck flushed. “Well, now I would.” He had no dark circles under his eyes nor a five o’clock shadow on his jawline. No signs of sleep deprivation whatsoever upon him. It was as if he didn’t stay out late last night partying. He noticed the flyer. “Found a missing dog?”

She nodded. “Poor little thing was on my porch last night. My neighbor was nice enough to take care of her while I worked today.”

“Does it have a chip?” Lily shook her head. She checked as soon as the puppy went inside, checking for a tattooed mark on her belly, and no sign of a chip or even scars for getting fixed. It was going to be even harder to truly find the owner. Damien's shoulders slumped. “Oh, that sucks. Hope you’ll find the owner soon.”

“Me too.”

He straightened as he leaned against the streetlamp. The corner of his mouth twitched up, his eyes smoldering at Lily. “So, what were you going to text me since I’m here?”

She rolled her eyes as she tried to hide her swooning. As cheesy as it sounded, Damien knew how to make leaning on a dirty streetlamp sexy. Must have been the suit. “You still up for the show tonight?”

“Yeah." He pushed himself off the lamplight. "Let’s head to my office so I can put it on my calendar.”

Office? “Wait.” The single word paused Damien in his tracks. “You have an office? War photographers typically don’t have them around here.”

Damien saw her confusion. “I’m not a war photographer anymore, actually. I had to quit after what happened in Syria. My life went downhill from then.”

Awkwardness lumped in her stomach. “Oh… sorry to hear that.” The buildings around them were endless in Lily’s eyes. “So, where do you work now?”

He turned toward the building in front of them and raised his hand toward it. The sign for Armitage Global stood in front of its doors as clear as day. “My father had old friends in the company’s board and they asked me to become the new Chief of Operations.”

_Don’t get involved with rich men…_

Lily bit her lips as her heart sank to her hips. “You’re a head of a company…”

Damien’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Yeah?”

She glanced at him but couldn’t meet his eyes. Why did she say that? Why did her mother’s words come to mind at the most inopportune time? “My mom told me to avoid guys with a lot of money. ‘They’ll marry you and have many others on the side,’ is what she said. Raven constantly tells me they’ll end up being Patrick Bateman.”

He burst out laughing. “Oh hell, I don’t know what to say…”

“You’re going to try to prove my mom wrong?” she suggested. “Show that you’re not like Patrick Bateman either?”

He nodded. “I guess we’ll start tonight. Want to come up to my office?” He held up his hand in defense. “I promise I won’t murder you with a chainsaw or anything.”

Lily giggled. “Why not? It’ll be easier to hear me scream up there.”

Damien’s smile flared with giddiness. He guided her up the stairs and into the elevator. Lily had to blink multiple times when the doors opened to the floor Damien pushed for.

Stepping into Armitage Global was entering into a Utopia that actually  _worked_.

Everyone seemed to know Damien than just being aware of him like a typical worker would. He greeted everyone with kindness and encouragement as soon as the doors opened, remembering every single person’s name. A few of the women in the office swooned as they got out of his line of vision. It was completely different than the Times where anxiety and controlled chaos dispersed in the offices as deadlines came closer every day for print. Here held a sense of control and positivity throughout the head office floor. Even when Lily turned back to see the entire floor, it remained the same. No sudden panic as their boss headed the other way. Damien opened a door with his name on it, and Lily peered into the room.

“Wish I had as big of an office as you,” she told him. She bit her lips. “Wish I had an office in general.”

Damien headed toward his desk. “I bet when you finish that article, you will,” he replied.

The New York skyline lined the wall, clouds wafting through the outside buildings. Trinkets and a Newton's Cradle lined the low cabinets beneath the huge window. A desk sat in front with a huge pile of papers and a placard with Damien’s name on it. Small bookshelves rested along the walls. Some shelves held business and fun reads, others with photos and souvenirs. Even more photos dotted the walls with certificates and awards. It seemed professional, but with a sense of individuality.

Damien opened up planners, electronic and paper. “You said it was the Rockwood Music Hall on Allen, right?”

“Yeah, show starts at eight. Stage two.”

He shuffled through the files on his desk. “Gone for only an hour, and there’s another four hours of reports to go through.” He motions around the room. “Take a look around. The city view's great from up here.” Lily obliged.

Photos of villages and worn-down cities adorned the walls in dark frames, clearly Damien’s work. Older ones were in wooden frames - Black and white photos of a little boy in a school uniform, dark curly hair sticking out and holding a camera. A color photo rested next to it, and it captured the same boy with a man and a woman who looked like his parents. His father was extremely handsome and his mother immensely beautiful. No wonder Damien was so gorgeous now... He was an equal mix of both of his parents. 

“Okay,” Damien exclaimed. He shut one of the planners and walked away from the desk. “Now no one can bother me past bank hours tonight.”

“Great!” she replied. “So, what got you into war photography?”

Damien came up to her. “I wanted to reveal the evils of the world after the terrorist attacks happened. Expose them to be rid of them, I guess. Let the world know violence and evil are being thrust upon innocent people. Hopefully, I can still make a difference in the next few years.”

“Trying to make Armitage Global a company to help countries in need of help?”

Damien looked down at his shoes. “Not exactly. I’m not going to be in my position for much longer if everything works out.”

 _Not going to be in his position much longer_... She had heard the sequence of those words before in the break room at the Times. It was usually a reporter receiving intel that someone was planning on running for office. But... one of the senate seats for New York has been empty for almost two weeks now. She turned to him and made sure her voice stayed low. “Are you about to become Senator of New York?”

He looked out the door, and Lily saw no one peering at them. His bit his lips. “Mind keeping it a secret for a while?” he asked. "It won't be announced until next week."

A woman right outside the door turned her head and stared at Lily. As soon as Lily came into direct eye contact, the woman whipped away and sped off toward another hall. “No problem,” Lily told him. “I report on music, not the main pages. I would keep an eye on some of your co-workers, though.”

He stared out onto the floor, eyeing each person within sight. No one out there noticed his staring, but no one else looked suspicious. “Which ones?”

“One of your secretaries, I think. Looked like she didn’t want to be noticed.”

“I’ll keep an eye out,” he replied. Lily stared at him. His head tilted. “What’s that around your neck?”

She followed his line of sight. A crescent moon peeped out from her blouse. Her body froze and she covered it as quickly as she could. “Nothing. Just a necklace.” Warmth gathered and remained in her cheeks, and she kept her eyes low and away from Damien's. 

“It wouldn’t be hiding like that if it was just a necklace,” he said.

Her body pumped with panic. She knew she would encounter this situation one day but didn’t think it would be so soon. Her voice fell soft so no one could hear her except Damien. “You’ll either make fun of me or kick me out of here.”

Damien gently shut the door. He tilted his head down to her, his eyes remaining gentle. “I promise to do neither, and no one else will hear,” he told her.

She gripped the crescent tighter. Her palm grew warmer against the silver, and the risen edges pushed against her skin. The leather cord dug into the back of her neck, her urge to run rising. She rushed to the window in hopes of it going down.

_If you feel anxious, take a deep breath._

She breathed. Her sister’s lessons came back into thought, and she sorted through them. The words reeled over and over in her head. “This is a protection amulet. My sister gave it to me when she inducted me into her coven.”

He walked toward her. “You’re a witch?”

She stared at the sky, wishing the moon was out. Or better yet, her mother's star. She kept both in her mind in the hopes it will guide her right. “Wiccan, to be exact. I could go into the ‘politics’ of paganism, but then we’d be here all night.”

“Wow,” he said. Lily’s entire being stalled. He sat on the cabinets, and his eyes twinkled with kindness. “I know you have to remain mostly hushed about your beliefs, but you’re safe with me.”

She gawked at the man. A little more of the weight lifted off her shoulders. Since when does a top businessman - soon to be senator, even - have an open mind? Let alone, how could she meet someone who was so accepting within seconds?

“Different always makes life interesting,” he continued. He picked up a ball of the Newton's Cradle next to him and let it drop. The ball on each end swung back and forth, alternating in constant inertia, never stopping. “Being the same gets boring. At least you know what path you’re meant to be on spiritually.” He stopped the cradle from swinging.

Lily huffed as her heart fluttered. “A lot of people would smack you for that or tell you to burn in hell.”

“They refuse to open their eyes to the truth.”

Lily thought about it. “Maybe… in some ways, it’s all about a sense of belonging. Whether to a clique, a job, or mostly to a religion, all humans want to belong somewhere. Sadly, many institutions teach you to object and shame those who don’t follow or belong. Thus, they refuse to open their eyes to the truth. They can’t see how  _they_ are the evil ones; that they won’t be accepted by the divine by objecting what the divine has brought into being. Then again, good and evil may not exist – just different opinions of what they believe is right.” She stopped herself from flooding any more words. “I just opened a casket that shouldn’t have been opened.”

“No, you’re meant to open them up,” he teased, his smile itching to burst out. A laugh stuck in her throat - her? Open caskets? She was a music reporter, not a philosopher. “It’s about time I meet another intellectual.” He sat up, and his hand reached for hers with feather-like touch. A spark flared on Lily's skin, and it slowly crept up her arm. She couldn't stop staring at their intertwined hands. “You really are something, Lily Kemp. I can tell you right here and now that you'll change the world.”

She turned back to him, and Damien's own gaze locked her sight into place. His eyes bore into hers, but they were as gentle and kind as they always have been. They shined with ardor and wonder. Her thoughts fled and were replaced with the reflection of the lights and the swirls of indigo. The amulet thumped on her chest as her hand touched the cabinet for balance. His eyes came closer, knowing her own body leaned toward him. He even started leaning toward her. She kept staring into Damien's eyes to see what was behind the colored veil, and it looked like –

WHAM!

A woman rushed into the office. She halted in front of the desk never looking away from Damien. Lily couldn’t help but stare at her. Everything appeared put together, but messy and crazed at the same time. The city wind had blown all over her, making pieces of her hair frizzled out and her makeup smudged against her dark skin. “We need to talk.”

Lily blinked. “You’re the one who rushed to the hall.”

“Simone, you’re not allowed in here!” Damien snarled.

Damien’s secretary barged into the room. “I’m sorry, Damien. Some of us tried to escort her out ourselves  _multiple_  times today. Security’s been called.” Her eyes widened and stepped back. Lily turned and took a step back herself.

Whatever kindness Damien had in his eyes vanished as he stared down at Simone. His indigo eyes shadowed under his scrunched eyebrows. His shoulders raised to a perfect straight line as he towered over Simone. His voice remained quiet but it crackled with rage. “I told you to  _never_  come near me again.”

“But we have important – ah!”

Large security guards grabbed both of her arms and braced them behind her back. Simone flayed and leaped against their grip, but they were too strong for her as they dragged her toward the door. “Damien, please! Why won’t you talk to me anymore?”

Courage, or maybe even stupidity, rose up in Lily. She stepped toward the crazed woman and glared at her in the eye. “Because he’s not interested in talking to you.”

“Lily, don’t,” Damien warned. He grabbed Lily’s arm, but instant regret flashed on his face.

Simone’s face slackened. Her body relaxed against the guards’ grip, but her eyes blared into Lily’s – as if she was burning Lily’s face into her mind. Wait, not as if –  _she was_. “You’ve made a big mistake.”

Lily retracted closer to Damien. She turned herself into the bullseye of a target, but she wanted to be a moving one. Her heart pounded in her eardrums, and her stomach threatened to roll upwards.  _Lily, get away from there!_ Her mother’s voice shouted – just like when she was little. Chills crawled up her spine to the crown of her head, the dropped stomach lifted, and all focused to a point – to Simone.

The dread from last night… it was  _her_.

"RAH!" Simone growled, her eyes widened with craze and anger. She threw herself forward as best as she could, and Damien grabbed Lily and shuffled her behind him. Lily grabbed onto the back of his suit, peering out to find Simone didn't even get out of the guards' grip. She jumped and fought against them, but it was completely useless. The guards shoved her down onto the floor, and Simone could only stare up at Damien and Lily with desperate pleading on her face. 

“Get her out of here,” Damien growled. "If she comes back in here or even follows Lily, call the police and have her arrested."

The guards yanked Simone away, and Damien’s secretary followed them out, shutting the door behind her.

Damien quickly turned to Lily and helped her sit. “You okay?” His voice and behavior changed back to the kind Damien Lily knew.

“Who was that?” Lily asked. She leaned her head toward her knees, waiting for the tingling in her sinuses to fade away. Her body shivered while it pulsed with her rapid heartbeat. 

Damien gently rubbed between her shoulder blades. “Remember the ex I was trying to stay away from last night?”

Everything clicked. “That was her?”

“Yeah. I saved her life a few years ago and we dated for a while. Dumped her as soon as I found out she cheated on me. Now she’s obsessed with me, and I’m about to file a restraining order.” His eyes dimmed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I'm sorry you had to see that. Let me get you a water.”

_Knock-knock!_

An older woman stepped into the office. Her demeanor, regal posture, and graying hair signaled a leader. Yet at the same time, she looked like a follower as well. “Apologies for the scene, Damien. I should have known better. I ordered security to be upped. If that little slut can get in here as easily as that, that means others can too.” She saw Lily. “Who is this? My apologies for the vulgar language. I’m Ann Rutledge, CEO of Armitage Global.”

Lily rose carefully and held her hand out. “Lily Kemp.” Ann shook hands with her. “I was just scheduling something with Damien for tonight.”

BEEP BEEP!

She took her phone out, finding another text message. She read it twice. “Oh no…”

“What’s the matter?” Damien asked.

“My photographer’s calling in sick. She’s in the ER to make sure it’s nothing serious.” She started searching for her backup photographers in hopes that they can come last minute from their other projects. "I have to go, I need to see if any photographers are in the Times right now."

He shrugged and handed her a bottle of water. “Don't worry about it. I’ll bring my camera tonight. As long as I’m credited as anonymous for the photos, everything should be good.”

Lily’s throat tightened. “Damien, you don’t have to do that. I can always call the usual photographers.”

“It’s not a problem.” He stroked a strand of her hair back. The kindness was back in full bloom. “I’ll see you tonight.”

She tried to breathe evenly. “Yeah, see you tonight... Thanks.” She turned toward the door. “It was nice to meet you, Ann.”

“And you,” the woman nodded.

The secretary helped Lily to the elevator, and Lily tried not to flinch as the doors slowly closed. Finally, the elevator started moving down to the main floor. She downed the bottle of water within seconds and rested back on the wall. That woman... Simone... _she_ was the cause of her dread, but how? They never met until now. What if the dread came because Simone was nearby? It made sense – they were only a few blocks away from each other last night, and Simone may have followed Lily on the way home, knowing that Damien asked her out. Her stomach clenched – what if the puppy on her doorstep was Simone’s? She shook her head. She couldn’t make things up, even if the coincidences lined up; she didn’t even know if Simone followed her home. Simone’s stare bore into her mind, and Lily knew that was a death threat. The dread seemed to fade as she got closer to the main floor, and Lily hoped it was because those guards were taking Simone far away from here. She needed to talk to Raven - sensing other beings was _not normal_. Chantico’s words rang through her head... Her destiny was coming into being... If encountering Simone was that destiny, then Lily’s encounters with Simone were not over.

She pushed it away as the doors opened. She tried to figure out the best way to get back to her office with the time she had left for her lunch hour. Bus would take too long, subway had too many pervs at that hour and she did not want to deal with it, and taxi would be stuck in lunch hour traffic. Yeah, walking was her best option. She turned her maps on, and it would take her twenty minutes. That would leave ten minutes to eat the lunch in her fridge. If she had any appetite to eat when she got there. She rushed out of the building and stepped onto the concrete stairs.

“Miss Kemp!”

Lily paused before she could lift her foot to the next step, dropping her phone in her coat pocket. She turned to find Ann Rutledge’s smile. It was alarming… like she was trying to smile from ear to ear, but she didn’t have the heart in it. The tilt her eyes told a smile with an agenda, and it wasn’t a good one.

“Ms. Rutledge,” Lily responded. “Did I forget something upstairs?”

“No, not at all,” the woman smiled. “I’m afraid to tell you that Mr. Thorn had something come up and he won’t be able to make it tonight.”

Something was off – the look on Ann’s face said the words were drilled into her system. Her gut tied into a knot as she crossed her arms. “And Damien couldn’t have told me this himself?”

Ann flung it out like a champ. “He’s on a very important conference call and wanted me to tell you as soon as possible.”

Lily nodded. Why would the CEO of a company come down to tell her something a secretary would be doing for her boss? She knew that Armitage Global had a more positive atmosphere, but she was sure that sending word to someone in Damien’s personal life was not in Ann’s job description. “Okay… Then can you tell him to call me as soon as he can?”

“I’ll relay the message. Again, it was nice to meet you, Miss Kemp.” She went back into the building.

“You too,” Lily replied. She turned toward the street, her hand hovering over the phone in her coat pocket.

She walked a few blocks before she looked back. Not even the tip of the Armitage building could be seen. She took out her phone.

The phone picked up in seconds. “Lily?” Damien answered.

She blinked in surprise. “Sure doesn’t sound like you’re on a call.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Lily looked up past the book shop, knowing Armitage towered behind it. She pictured Damien staring out from the top window. His tall and gentle demeanor gazing out to the skyline, looking out as if he knew where she was. “You didn’t tell Ann Rutledge to come down and tell me you couldn’t make it tonight?”

“No, why would I do that? I would call or text –” A thud sounded, very likely more files on his desk.  “Thanks, Abby. Now, you said it was Ann who told you?”

“Yep. The strained smile on her face gave me enough reason to call you.”

Damien’s sigh overwhelmed the speaker. “I’m sorry. Even though I try to keep a positive environment around here, some of the people here think they can decide how I spend my time off. Especially Ann. She expressed that I don’t get involved with you until my drama with Simone is handled as soon as you left.”

Her stomach churned at those words. “It seems my first impression of her was accurate.”

“She has…  _good_  intentions, but she tends to do things her own way before consulting me.”

Lily continued down the street, rushing to the Times. “Does she think she’s your mother?”

“You have no idea. I’m thirty-three and I still have people deciding stuff for me like I’m a child.”

Her mouth gaped open in shock. Despite how high his position was, immaturity still reigned around it. “Wow, I’m only twenty-six and I’ve been more-so independent since I was eighteen. No conniving old ladies deciding things for me.”

“Lucky you,” Damien replied. His voice turned quiet. “Lily… don’t trust Ann, okay? There’s a reason why she became CEO.”

The churning tightened. She hoped that sounded more malicious than it was. “Wouldn’t trust her for the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments what you think - whether it's good things, theories, or constructive criticism. (I'm really interested to see if you have any theories about where this is going. I'm a theory nerd myself.) This entire chapter was edited by me with no beta readers.
> 
> If you like to keep up on the status of future chapters, please follow me on tumblr! (also greyjediwriter on there) I will share links to future chapters as well as fangirl over stuff. 
> 
> I can't wait to share the next chapter with you! It has one of my favorite sections of songs within my writing playlist for this, and the first song I can just hear the beginning help transition from this chapter to the next as if it was a scene transition in a movie! 
> 
> Keep looking to the stars, everyone! See you next chapter!


	3. Date Night Fright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily encounters new people on her date, but it leads to disastrous consequences...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot of fun writing, especially since I think the writing/reading music for this is perfect! Some of the music actually inspired this scene in the first place, and it even inspired a character you will be introduced to, but not the one you'd expect. Take a look down at the playlist:
> 
> Highway Tune - Greta Van Fleet  
> China Girl - David Bowie  
> Highway to Hell - AC/DC  
> Cadence of My Heart - The Relentless  
> Save a Prayer - The Relentless  
> Let Him Burn - The Relentless  
> We Lose Control - The Relentless  
> Safari Park - The Omen Soundtrack (Jerry Goldsmith)  
> A Doctor, Please - The Omen Soundtrack (Jerry Goldsmith)

Rockwood Music Hall, VIP Balcony, 7:36 p.m.

The darkness of the Rockwood Music Hall failed to hide the true atmosphere of the venue. Stale beer, body odor, and the stink of people who drank too much permeated from the floors of both levels. Humidity liquified onto Lily’s neck as the place grew in people, even from the VIP balcony up above.

“Wai-wa-wai-wa-wait,” Raven spurred over the loud music. “This guy has co-workers plotting against him?”

Lily shrugged. “I guess it’s what happens when you’re a head of an international finance company.”

Raven’s head dipped forward, her eyebrows trying to reach her hairline. “… Head of an international finance company?”

Lily's body curled in on itself in the chair. She bit her lips, not caring that it would removed her refreshed lipstick. “He... just happens to be the Chief of Operations at Armitage Global at the moment...”

Raven scoffed at her, her high laughs clearing her throat. Lily sunk lower into her chair, knowing very well that this would be her sister's reaction. She chugged down her beer. “I'm very glad you told me to come tonight; no way I'm leaving you alone with Patrick Bateman.”

Lily waved her hand at the beer bottle. “Is chugging your beer going to help? I haven’t seen you fight off serial killers drunk.”

“Possibly,” Raven said as she put the bottle down. “We’ll find out later tonight.”

Lily looked around for the waitress who took Raven’s order. Nowhere in sight. She sighed and got up. “I’m going to the bar, want another beer?”

“Nah, I’ll take a High King Highball.”

She stared at her sister. Since when does she get shit-drunk before meeting her potential boyfriend? Raven waved her off, and Lily’s eyes rolled up to the ceiling, if not the high heavens.

“I saw that!”

Lily shrugged, hands up in the air. “My eyes have a mind of their own!”

Raven flipped her off.

“I’m sure Thor loved that finger last night!”

Raven’s mouth dropped, and Lily ran before she decided to go after her.

She rushed down the stairs and entered the main floor of the place, trying to breathe out the laughter as she took in the sight of the main floor. There were more people than she thought, all hanging out at the bar underneath the balcony. The stage lights turned on, revealing the red wall backdrop. The band’s logo reflected on the bass drum and stagehands walked onto stage to start final mic checks. She walked up to the few empty seats at the bar.  

Another song kicked on, and Lily looked up to where the speakers might be. “Huh, nice to hear David Bowie before a metal set.” The vocals came in, and Lily’s heart ached. It was her mother’s favorite song, and they danced to it whenever she blasted it on the old CD player at home. Raven even got drunk for the first time while listening to this song. It always brought good memories to mind, and Lily cherished every one of them. She even imagined the song would be her father’s favorite, too. Whoever he was.

“Band thought it would be better to start off with something lighter,” the bartender told her. He put the beer glass he was drying down. “What can I get ya?”

“I’m upstairs in VIP, but waitress is nowhere to be found.” The annoyance she felt before teasing Raven came back. She did her best to keep it in because it's not the bartender's fault the waitress wasn't doing her job.

The bartender growled in frustration. “My apologies, she’s been told not to do that before a set. I’ll tell her you ordered. What’ll you have?”

“Day at the Beach and a High King Highball,” she responded.

A guy came up next to her, beer glass clinking onto the bar. “Trying to start off the night a little loose?”

Lily wasn’t sure how her pupils weren’t facing her brain. She really hoped she didn't have to deal with this tonight. “The highball’s for my sister, dumba –”

Her voice squeezed itself shut.

The guy standing next to her was not a typical guy in the bar. He looked clean-cut and  _a lot_  taller than the average bargoer. His mahogany hair flowed slightly long, the ends reaching the nape of his neck. The front was swept back with gel, framing his broad forehead. His jawline could cut a person in half, his close shave not showing a five-o-clock shadow. His skin looked tan in the dim light as if he was on vacation months ago, especially against his dark green shirt. His forest green eyes narrowed at her, and Lily saw intelligence behind them.

She tried to form words. “Umm… You don’t look like a dumbass…”

The guy’s smile beamed at her. “I hope I’m not. I have a certification exam in a few days.”

She stared at him with unease. She had no idea if he was lying, so she went with what guys told her every time they came up to her. “Let me guess, you’re going to be an event planner?”

The guy turned toward her. “Nurse practitioner, actually,” he replied. 

Lily’s cheeks heated as she looked down at the bar. He was telling the truth. “Sorry. I’ve been here multiple times and the guys are usually assholes.”

“Well, I don’t come here that often,” he replied. “Uh, I’m Andrew Rosen.” He held out his hand.

Her entire body tingled as her hand contacted his. “Lily Kemp.”

“You’re up in VIP too, right?”

They broke the handshake, and her head automatically pointed up to the balcony above them. “Yeah, I’m going to be interviewing a band member for an article after. Wait, Rosen?”

He huffed through his nose; his smile turning smug. “Mia's my little sister.”

Mia told Lily that she didn't go by her real name - Amelia Rosen - because it didn't fit with the look the band was going for. Only few people knew her real name. “She told me she had a brother, but I had no idea it was you.”

“Yeah, it kind of helps when you decide to go as Mia St. Lilith. Parents weren't standing for it, being the music _and_ the name, and I was the one who helped her stand up to them. Now, she’s getting closer to a big break every day, and I’m the only one supporting her. Hell, I'm getting closer to my big career, and she's the only family member supporting me.”

She grimaced at the thought. She knew that this was in fact Mia’s brother because Mia told her the same thing when they first met a few months back. The band opened for a secret Black Veil Brides show and they happened to sit and watch their set with Lily. It was why Lily wanted to interview Mia in the first place, she and her brother dealt with so much shit and now look at where they were. “Sorry to hear that.”

“Hey, my old man’s eating his words. He thought I was better off becoming an accountant.”

“And you’re about to prove him wrong.” The bartender handed Lily her drinks and refilled Andrew’s beer, telling them he’ll have the waitress add it to their tabs. “When do you pass your certification exam?”

They headed up the stairs. “Next week, I hope,” Andrew continued. “If not, it’ll be a couple months. Are you a magazine reporter or are you from a paper?”

Lily thought about it and shrugged. “Well, I’ve been an entertainment reviewer for the Times past couple of years. I’m hoping to transition to being a reporter on the music industry and its environment. The article I’m working on now could be the one that starts it.”

A waitress walked straight up to them as soon as their feet touched the balcony floor. Cigarettes wafted off of her. “Why did you go downstairs?”

“You weren’t here,” Lily and Andrew answered at the same time. The waitress scoffed, and they watched her stomp down the stairs.

They turned back. “She’s not getting a good tip,” Lily said.

“Nope,” Andrew replied. They walked toward Lily’s table.

As Lily pushed the red drink towards Raven, her sister stared straight at Andrew. “Is this him?”

Lily's cheeks shocked with heat. She didn't realize Andrew stood right behind her, thinking he headed back to wherever he was sitting. “Uh… no. This is Andrew, he happens to be the lead guitarist’s brother.”

Raven waved at him. “I’m this one’s sister, Raven. Nice to meet you.”

“Meeting with someone?” Andrew asked.

Lily’s stomach flipped. She was going to throw up - she was sure of it. “Yeah… I just happen to have a date coming.”

“Who’s still not here and the show starts in fifteen minutes,” Raven noted.

Lily's stomach finally gained some grit with Raven's tone. “I told you he’s one of the heads of Armitage. He’s probably busy or stuck in traffic because he got out of work late.”

Andrew tilted his head. “So, asking you to get a coffee with me sometime is out of the question?”

Lily’s mind hit a brick wall. “Uhh… you were going to ask me out?”

“Well yeah, you’re an interesting person,” he shrugged with a kind smile. 

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. How was she meeting guys who were really kind all of a sudden? But why was she acting like this when it's Damien she's having a date with? “That’s nice of you to say. If my date doesn’t turn out great, I’ll join you after.” She flinched as Raven’s boot hit her ankle. “Umm… can we still hang out as friends if my date goes well?”

Andrew smiled, nodding at her question. He noticed Lily’s steno pad and pen. “I’ll give you my number.” He wrote quick and light. “Text me if you need someone else to chat with.”

Lily nodded. “Don’t be too surprised if it’s in five minutes.” She added the number to her phone.

Andrew headed towards another group of people at a table, and Lily watched him leave. Her head tilted at his profile. He sure left a decent impression…

“Lily, don’t let him run away,” Raven exclaimed.

Lily sat down. “What are you talking about?” She paused, glowering at her sister. “Is this your ESP thing?”

“Who is he before I say anything?”

Lily huffed air out of her hose. “Andrew Rosen, sister to lead guitarist Mia. He’s a nurse who’s hoping to get his certification as a nurse practitioner in a few days.”

Raven slapped her hands on the table. The drinks spilled a few drops. “Don’t have him running to another girl – that man is a keeper. He’s kind, gorgeous, and has a beautiful ass to match. He’s perfect if your serial killer turns out to be a serial killer!”

As if on cue, Damien walked up the stairs. He looked like a normal guy compared to the past afternoon – a dark hoodie, jeans, sneakers, and carrying a camera bag. A five o’clock shadow made his face naturally smolder. It was slightly shocking to see considering he looked more clean shaven earlier that day. Lily waved him over.

“Sorry I’m late, traffic was hell.” He pulled a chair to their table and unzipped his hoodie. “Couldn’t they get an air conditioner or ceiling fans?” 

“Preaching to the choir,” Lily replied with her hand held up. She motioned to her sister. “Raven, this is Damien Thorn. Damien, this is my sister Raven.”

Raven held her hand out. “Nice to meet you.”

Damien shook it with a gentle smile. “Likewise. Seems this place is starting to pack.”

“Yeah, we were warned that they’ll remove the tables if it gets packed to the gills.” She sipped her red highball. “So, Lily tells me you’re serial killer material.”

Lily almost choked on her drink. “Raven!” Embarrassment crawled up from her stomach. If her sister screws this up…

Damien burst out laughing. “Lily was telling me about that. Sarah seemed to have a different idea about guys like me.”

Raven raised an eyebrow. “You knew our mom?”

Some of the alcohol burned on Lily's windpipe. She shoved down the panic in her system. For some reason, every time a potential boyfriend was interrogated, her body decided to give her hell. Tonight was no exception. “He used to be a war photographer, working in the same places as Mom, and he was getting kicked out of Syria when Mom died.” Her throat coughed the burning out.

Raven stared down at her drink, and Lily’s panic stalled. Whenever Raven felt upset, Lily always sensed it flowing to her. Even though they’re not biological sisters, they seemed to feed off each other emotionally. They understood what the other was feeling with a simple look. Lily reached her hand out. Raven took it and squeezed.

“Oh, I should probably get a drink before I’m kicked out,” Damien said.

Lily blinked, realizing he was sitting next to her. How did she forget? Then again, her sister always came first. “Yeah, the waitress seems to be M.I.A. when you actually  _want_  a drink,” she told him. “She can be bitchy, too, so fair warning.”

His lips pressed together in a groan. “Great, just what this bar needs. Be right back.”

A weight fell off of Lily’s shoulders as Damien went back down the stairs. She leaned over the table. "You okay?"

Raven stayed quiet for a minute, but she eventually nodded. "I guess it was fate that we meet him. It's strange that he's now a head of Armitage..."

"Apparently some of the board members knew his father, so he got the job that way," she responded. "He's actually going to be quitting the job soon," she shut her mouth, almost forgetting her promise, "but you don't know that." She watched her sister take a sip of her drink, watching the stage. “So... what do you think of him?”

Raven’s brow furrowed as she looked up at Lily. “I don’t know yet, Lily. Some guys take a while for me to get a sense off of them. Damien’s one of them.” Something sparked in her eyes. “I have an idea.” She grabbed Lily’s phone.

Lily yanked it from her sister’s fingers. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Text Andrew and ask him to sit with us!”

Lily’s cheeks flared. “No!” She stopped herself and sunk down in her chair. She kept her voice low. “I am not going to ask him over here since this is supposed to be my first date with Damien!”

Raven stood up. “Fine, I’ll ask if he can be my ‘friend-date’ for the night so I can have a second opinion.”

“You need a second opinion?!” she yelped. “Since when?”

Raven got up into Lily’s personal space. “Since I didn’t get a reading off of your date  _at all_.”

She straightened up. Raven, in all the years Lily has known her, had never been able to  _not_  get a sense of people before. Even when she didn’t get a gut feeling firsthand, she sensed a hint of it before it revealed itself within minutes or hours. “Maybe you had too much to drink already.”

Raven shook her head. “I’ve been completely trashed before and could know in an instant if the guy was someone to stay away from.” She walked over to Andrew.

Weight crashed onto her shoulders. This  _never_  happened. Sure, Lily could be skeptical of Raven's ability, but she could tell when a guy was rapist and or serial killer material and who was a good man. She knew Andrew was a good man in an instant, but now she can’t read off of Damien? Was that a good thing or a bad thing? He seemed to be so kind, especially to her and Raven, but was he hiding something underneath?

Raven came back with another seat. “There. Now I won’t be a third wheel.”

Andrew seemed to hover over her despite being at the edge of the table. “Hey, you okay?”

Lily stared up at him, and he was a ray of light shining down on her. She took a breath, and her panic faded away. “Yeah, I’m sure it’s nothing. Raven can fill you in on her weird yet useful ability.”

Andrew squinted at Raven, "This makes me curious." He gestured toward the chair. “You okay with me sitting with you guys?”

“I’m fine with it, but I need to make sure Damien’s okay with it. We weren’t expecting this to be a double date.” 

Andrew’s smile turned the room brighter. “I’m sure he’ll be fine once he meets me.”

“I hope so,” she said to him. She grabbed her drink and took a huge gulp.

Her pulse rocketed as Damien came back up the stairs, IPA bottle in hand. He stood there as he studied the slight change in scenery. “Having third wheel syndrome?” he asked Raven.

“You forget you’re serial killer material,” she retorted.

He tilted his head back. “Ahhh.” He held his hand out to Andrew, “Damien Thorn.”

Andrew stared at his hand. Wariness filled in his eyes as he shook it. “Andrew Rosen.”

“Nice to meet you. At least we all can get to know each other.” He scooted closer to Lily as he sat. “Has anyone called about the dog yet?”

Raven beamed at Lily. “Dog?”

“No,” Lily replied, trying her best to ignore Raven. “But my neighbor who’s taking care of her found out her name.”

Raven inched forward, pushing her drink aside. “Again, dog?”

Damien leaned toward her to try and keep their conversation. “What’s her name?”

“Isis,” Lily answered.

“Cute…” His head tilted to the side. “Kind of fitting.”

Raven raised her hands in the air. “DOG?!” Andrew sat next to her, trying to hide his smile with a swig. Lily explained to them how Isis showed up on the porch and scared the crap out of her. She showed them the picture she took for the fliers.

“I MUST MEET THIS PUPPY!” Raven howled.

Lily noticed Raven finished her drink  _already_. She knew right then that her sister was planning on getting hammered tonight. Maybe she’s pissed at Thor or something. “Yeah, I’m going to drive you back home tonight. Do I need to text Thor or are you going to?” Raven pulled out her phone and started tapping on the screen.

The music went down, and someone announced the band. A young woman with curled golden hair walked on stage, and the crowd started cheering.

“YEAH, SIS!” Andrew screamed at the top of his lungs.

Mia shredded on the guitar and kickstarted the set. The crowd reacted and started rocking out. Mia’s hair glowed red against the stage while the other members glowed blue. While the guys mostly wore black, Mia wore a red and white blouse with a black fitted corset, tight black jeans, and stiletto heels. Despite the lead singer being a guy, the star clearly was Mia. 

Lily took out her notebook and took notes as the band performed. How the band had different reception than other bands with different gender ratios, how the crowd grew wilder when Mia was acknowledged for her solo work, and how the crowd reacted to each other. She loved how the singer interacted with the lyrics, as if he was in a story and how the crowd saw what his reactions were. She knew then she had a review for the band as well.

“You’re able to work two different things as if they’re easy,” Damien commented.

“Women are better multitaskers,” Lily noted. She wrote down more notes as the band’s encore song rove up through the speakers. “I’m betting you can’t do more than one thing when working.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“Sure…" She shut her steno book. "I bet that’s what you tell every girl you go out with.”

“How are you such a smartass?” Andrew asked.

She looked up at him and almost forgot how to talk. “Well, when a parent has smartass tendencies, the child picks up on it, and it gets emphasized when you’re going through grief!”

“Holla!!!!” Raven yelled with her most recent drink in the air.

Andrew’s eyes narrowed. “I feel like I should be talking to you in an office rather than here.”

“I thought you were becoming a nurse practitioner,” Lily said.

“Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner,” he replied. “I can give you therapy sessions and hook you up with the proper meds when certified.”

She pursed her lips. “Not sure if you being my psych is a good idea.”

He raised his shoulders. “How come?”

Damien cleared his throat. “What if I just happen to become the boyfriend who gets cheated on by her girlfriend and her psych?”

“You think you’ll live long enough?” Lily asked. "You do know if you go out with me, you have my sister and our friends who can rip you to shreds."

He looked straight into Lily’s eyes. “If you’ll have me.”

Lily’s heart fluttered and melted into a pool of candlewax. She had a feeling to not let Damien go…

Raven studied Damien with hawk eyes. “I’m still not sure if you’re just being charming because that’s the way you are or if you’re a psychopath.”

“Oh, come on!” Lily whined.

“He's more charming than the average guy,” Andrew added. "That might be a sign of psychopathy."

“Well, Lily said I had to prove I’m not,” Damien said.

“Yeah well, you have a long way to go, sunshine…” Raven said over the shredding guitar solo. She lifted her glass and drank.

******

The last fangirls bounced up and down as the band signed their merch. They took one last photo with the band and left the bar. The place looked like a ghost town compared to when Lily got there. The crowd died down almost immediately after the band finished their encore and numbers slowly weeded out as fans left for home. The sweltering heat phased out into cool air as the doors stayed open. Lily, Damien, and Raven waited at the bar as Andrew approached his sister.

Mia jumped up as soon as she saw him, wrapping her arms around Andrew’s shoulders.

Raven leaned toward Lily and Damien. “They look nothing alike,” she muttered.

“Probably clones of their parents,” Damien suggested.

“Bet you he looks like their mom while she looks like their dad.”

Damien took a twenty out of his pocket. “Bet’s on.”

Lily shook her head as she watched the band pack up their gear. Raven always took on bets when she knew she would win. It was how she was able to save up money for college and eventually rent. If Lily continued dating Damien, he’s going to be begging Raven for all the money she won off of him.

Mia’s giggles enveloped the entire bar. Lily couldn’t help herself but stare at Andrew.

He towered over his sister like a giraffe. He and his sister really did look nothing alike – Andrew with his dark hair and tan while Mia possessed light hair and pale skin. Only some things showed they were related. Same foreheads and same smiles. Andrew’s smile lit up the entire bar. His happiness radiated through the air and everyone around him. He looked over at Lily, and she waved to them as she fought off the urge to shy away.

He moved his arm towards the bar. “Lily’s just over there.” Mia skipped towards them.

Lily hopped off her barstool. “Great performance!” she said. She held her arms out, and Mia joyfully took the hug.  

“Thank you!” she replied. “I see you’ve met my brother. Wish I could have properly introduced you to him earlier.”

“Don’t worry about it. How about we get going on the interview and photos? I don’t want you guys to stay out too late.”

“Sure!”

Damien walked up to them. “Hi, I’m Lily’s photographer, Damien Thorn.”

Mia gawked at him. “Hello…” She shook hands with him. “I have a feeling you can make my bad side look perfect.”

“I do my best,” he smiled. He gazed at the stage. “How about we take a full band photo on the red backdrop as well as shots of Mia alone?”

“That’ll work,” Lily said. “Mind getting some shots of the entrance later?”

“Absolutely.”

They took the photos and Lily conducted her interview at the stage edge. Damien even shot the full interview to be archived as well. Lily couldn’t stop smiling whenever Damien came into sight with his camera. When they finished, the band went to the bar to celebrate their success with Raven and Andrew, and Damien went to take photos of the entrance and join them after.

Lily slid next to Raven. “Well?”

Raven huffed and finished her drink. “Nothin’. I can’t get anythin’ off o’ him.” She waved her finger at Damien with slight sway. “It’s like somethin’s protectin’ his aura from anyone who can read it.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Andrew asked over the bar. "Mind you, I still don't believe you can sense auras."

Raven flinched off the chair, and Lily quickly grabbed her before she could fall and giggle up a storm. Still, the giggles came out of Raven. “Rude much?” Lily snapped.

Raven waved her off and patted her face. “Lily, it’ssss fine. I told you he was a keeper.” She bopped Lily’s nose and crawled back to the high bar stool.

Andrew inched closer to them, a smug smile creeping on his face. “Wait, I’m a keeper?”

Lily stiffened as her cheeks heated. “This isn’t a conversation I want you to be involved with. Especially since she’s hammered.”

Mia leaned over the bar. “Wait, what’s up?”

Raven helped Mia and the band catch up. “…And so I have my Goddess-given gift of knowin’ people’s shtick in an instant.”

Mia’s eyes sparked. “Wait, are you Witches or Wiccans?!”

Everyone turned silent and waited for Raven to answer.

Lily squeezed her sister’s shoulder, “Wiccans. Raven is the High Priestess in our coven.” Raven squeezed her hand in return.

Mia jumped out of her seat. “You guys must come to my Halloween party this Thursday! I’ve been wanting to do a ritual before people come to make sure it’s spiritually safe and awesome!”

Lily smiled as she thought about it. She had never seen this side of Mia since they met. Mia may be badass and serious while working with her band, but she must be cute and bubbly other times.

She nudged Andrew’s side. “You can bring Lily as your date since you’re curious about my practice.”

“Hold on, Lily’s dumping me already?” Damien interjected.

“Oh!” Mia exclaimed. “I didn’t know you two were dating.”

Lily saw Andrew’s spark fade into an ember. Her stomach weighed down to her hips. “Tonight was our first date, which mind you –” She glared at Damien. “We haven’t decided if we’re going to go on a second.”

Damien held his hands up. He became the embodiment of blood and roses. “I just thought we hit it off to where a second date was inevitable.”

“I want to talk to Raven when she’s sober to see if she actually approves of you.”

“Hey, if you two call it off, I’m available,” Mia told Damien. “Then again, you and I can be dates at the party either way.” She flipped her hair to the side, looking him up and down.

He stiffened when she winked at him. Raven scoffed as Andrew turned away from his sister, his face scrunched to an agonizing pucker.

Lily tilted her head at her, suddenly noticing a polarizing attitude. Mia did have a couple of drinks while interviewing, and Lily wondered how much more she had prior. “How bombed are you right now?”

“Hey, you’re only on the first date, right?” Mia replied. Her words started to slur together. Her mood must turn a complete 180 when the alcohol kicked in, and it kicked in quick.

“This is why we don’t talk to our dad anymore,” Andrew said to himself.

“Yeah, well at least I don’t tell anyone they’re not good enough when drunk!” She leered at Lily. “Lily though… she may be pretty, but Damien’s not going to settle for her.”

Andrew flew out of his seat. “You do not talk to her like that! Do you not realize how easily she can ruin your career by saying how bitchy you can be to others?”

“Aww, my brother is protecting his lady.”

“I’m protecting  _you_  like I always do!” Mia’s eyes lulled to the back of her head and she started snoring. He downed the rest of his beer and slammed money on the bar. “I need some air.”

“We’ll go with you,” Lily replied. She left money for her and Raven’s drinks, finally looking at Mia. “I’ll talk to you when you’re sober, too. More so when you’re not an insecure bitch.”

Mia grimaced as Damien guided Lily and Raven out the bar.

Raven’s coat sleeve was messed up, and Lily helped her straighten it out. “Did you drive here?”

Raven shook her head. “That bitch is gonna get hit by karma before she realizes it.”

“I know. Patience is needed, though.”

Raven landed herself onto Lily’s shoulders. Lily wobbled down with the sudden weight, but Raven lifted some of her weight off. “We’re going to see the puppy, right? Bring Andrew too, he needs time away from bitchface.”

Lily peered up at Damien. “Sorry about this. Not what I was hoping for the end of a first date.”

“Are you sober enough to drive?” he asked.

“I’ve had water for the past few hours, so I should be fine.”

“Call me if you can’t. I can have my chauffer come and get you two wherever you’re at.”

“Thanks.”

“Yeah, thanks Damien-ium,” Raven slurred. Giggles bubbled up as they got out the doors.

Lily checked the entire block to find Andrew resting against the wall next to her. His eyes pinched shut against the city, veins pulsing against his skin. He meditatively breathed in and out. She inched Raven to move towards him so neither of them fall. “Andrew?”

His head turned toward them. “Hey.” He averted his eyes as he scratched his neck. “You okay?”

Lily shrugged. “Not the first time someone tried to snatch a guy from me. I just hoped it would stop after I graduated college. Are you okay?”

He nodded. “I love my sister, but she can be way too much like our dad sometimes. She even looks like him, too.”

Raven’s gasp lasted longer than it should. “I fuckin’ called it!” She held her hand out. “Fork over the moolah, Damien-ium!”

He handed it over with a dissatisfied glint in his eyes. Raven snatched it and quickly shoved it into Lily’s coat pocket. Andrew chuckled at her.

“Need help getting her home?” he asked.

“We wanted to know if you wanted to see the puppy at our house.” Lily readjusted Raven’s arm and sensed relief in her back.

“Only if you guys live closer to the Bronx. I have a shift starting in the morning.”

Raven tilted to an angle. “Well, whataya know! Our house is in Woodlawn!”

“Make sure you shout it loud enough for the nearby stalkers,” Damien commented. Raven swiped at him, and he jumped back with a laugh. “I should probably be heading back to my place. Let me know when you want the reels by.”

Lily yanked her sister back to a vertical stance. Her energy faded by the minute. “I’ll let you know tomorrow. Right now, I have to get my drunk sister in her bed.”

WHAM!

They turned back, finding Mia at the bar door. “I’ll walk ya home, Damien,” she sighed. She didn’t even look at Lily and Raven. “At least I’m able to stand on my own two feet.”

“Mia, enough,” Andrew hissed. He stood close enough to touch her nose. “You're drunk and need to sleep it off.”

Mia shoved Andrew aside and walked up to Damien. “What do you see in someone like Lily?”

“More worth and dignity than you’ll ever have,” he spat out.

She rolled her head back. “How can I prove myself to you?”

“You can’t.”

Raven lifted herself off Lily and rested against the wall. She grabbed the corner edge to keep herself up. “If you have to prove yourself, it’s not worth it.”

“Damien,” Mia cried. “I –”

Her voice cut off, and Damien gazed at her confused. Her posture straightened slowly, as if she’s changing into another personality. Lily stepped back at the abruptness. “Mia?”

“It’s all for you,” Mia simply said. She stepped back from him. “It’s all for you, Damien.”

She stepped off the curb, backing away into the road.

“Mia?!” Andrew’s voice quivered. He rushed to grab Mia, but a motorcycle crossed between them.

Mia stepped farther into the road. “It’s all for you.” She raised her hands up and out to the sky, as if she was greeting in salutation.

Cars swerved around Mia.

Lily rushed to the curb. “MIA, GET OUT OF THE STREET!”

Mia burst with laughter. “LOOK AT ME, DAMIEN! IT’S ALL FOR YOU!”

She started skipping around the street.

Andrew screamed. “MIA, GET BACK HERE!” He frantically checked both sides of the road. “Lily, we have to get her off the street ourselves.”

Lily constantly flipped her eyes back and forth for cars. “Now!” She grabbed Andrew’s hand and dashed out to the middle of the road.

“IT’S ALL FOR YOU!”

They grabbed both of her arms and pulled her to the other side.

Mia whipped them off her with a simple flick of the wrists. Her laughter echoed through the block. Lily and Andrew land into the parked car.

HONK-HONK!

Lily swerved her head behind them, and a semi soared down the road. Mia continued skipping around in the middle of the road, dancing like she was in  _The Rite of Spring_.

Andrew’s eyes turned into full circles. Lily's heart burst as she stared at the semi, knowing that she thought the same thing as him.

"LOOK AT ME DAMIEN!!!!"

HONK-HOOOOOOOONK! The semi wasn't slowing down - _it couldn't_. Not anymore.

He turned back to his sister, “MIA!”

“IT’S ALLLL FOR Y –”

WHACK!

The semi flew through the street, never stopping. Red sprayed onto the pavement.

“MIA!!!!”

Lily covered her mouth to hold in her scream.

Mia lied in the middle of the street, skin bursting at the seams, resting in a pond of dark liquid. No sound voiced itself at the sight. No traffic, no music, no voice…

No Mia.

Lily’s chest hollowed. Andrew slumped to the ground, eyes bulging at the sight. They couldn’t tell if Mia had eyes anymore.

Raven ran to them with phone in hand. “We need to call 9-1-1. NOW!”

Lily snatched the phone and dialed the three digits. Within one beep –

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

A lump formed in Lily’s throat. Her breath turned shallow. “My friend was just run over by a semi.” She quickly covered her mouth and her eyes brimmed with tears.

Police, firefighters, and paramedics arrived within twenty minutes. The entire section of road blocked off by police. Officers and detectives took note of everything for evidence. Raven took a picture of the semi’s license plate by some miracle. Firefighters and paramedics worked together to gather as much of Mia as possible, some of the others handed Lily and the others blankets and checked vitals. Andrew sat on the back of an ambulance, staring into nothing.

Lily walked up to him. “Andrew?”

He didn’t even twitch. “I couldn’t save her…”

Lily sat next to him. She grabbed hold of his hand and rested it against his knee. “We tried. It’s not your fault, Andrew.” He stared at the road, and Lily knew the flashbacks were there. She shook his arm, and he snapped out of it. “Andrew, we did all we could, but your sister wanted to prove herself to Damien so much that we couldn’t move her.”

His lips quivered. “I should have tried harder.”

“You would be dead, too. And I don’t want that to happen to you.” She lifted his hand and kissed it. “You’re going to stay with me and Raven tonight. I don’t think you should be home alone tonight.”

The quivering worsened and spread throughout his body. “How can I do this?”

“With me and Raven being there for you every step of the way. You can even come to sabbats and esbats if you want. Our coven has had more than our share of loss.”

Andrew nodded quickly. “Do you mind asking me that again when I’m not feeling like this?”

Lily smiled, but it didn’t fully reach out. “I will. Promise.”

Raven slowly approached them. Her gait seemed to be less wobbly than earlier, but a huge bottle of Fiji was in her hand half full. She inched over to Lily. “Have you seen Damien?”

Her mouth gaped open. “No, not since –” She searched the barred off block and didn’t find him. “Do you think he went to find a phone?”

“He didn’t run into the bar or else he would have crossed my vision.”

Lily scoffed, disbelief overflowing her mind. Damien _left them_?! “Of course, someone like him wouldn’t be found here. Bad P.R. for Armitage and himself.” She flung the blanket back onto her shoulders. The mortuary finally collected Mia and guided the body bag away. “How much longer before we can go home?”

“Not long, I would think,” Raven replied. She gazed at Andrew gently. “I know this may be a bad time to ask, but do you want us to help with funeral rites? She said she was Wiccan, after all.”

“Dianic Wiccan,” he whispered. His chin slumped to his chest. “I don’t know if she knows any other Wiccans.”

Lily gently rubbed his back. “We’ll honor her like she’s one of our own. We’re eclectic so everyone can venture on their own paths together. Kirana can oversee it since she’s also Dianic.”

Raven lifted her phone from her pocket. “I’ll call her now.” She stared at Andrew. “You’re not staying to your house tonight, love.”

Andrew nodded. “I don’t want to.”

Raven sighed through her nose and walked off to the sidewalk. She still swayed a little bit, but her walking was even steadier still. “Kirana?”

Lily inched closer. “I can take off work if you need me to.”

He turned his head to Lily, green irises surrounded by swelling red and pink. Tears pooled down his face. “Why are you being so nice to me? I just met you.”

Lily pulled some of his hair away from his face and stared back into his eyes. “Because that’s what humans are supposed to do.”

He gazed into her eyes and saw the truth in them. He caressed her hand and took it into his own, never looking away.

A police officer approached them, and they broke eye contact. “You can go home as long as the paramedics give you the okay.”

One of them popped over. “They show signs of shock, but it’s going away. They can leave when they’re ready.”

The police started packing up. Firefighters cleaned up anything that forensics didn’t take. Lily searched around the area again.

Damien was still nowhere in sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the end of the third chapter. It gets crazier and scarier from here (well, at least I think so.) Leave comments, kudos, and the like down below! If you have any theories about what will happen, let me know!
> 
> In case you were wondering, Andy Black originally inspired Andrew. (Oh wow, how did I just notice I basically gave the character the same name as the person who inspired him?) To be honest, the trailer for the indie film American Satan inspired the character - which is what really introduced me to Black Veil Brides. Andrew ended up being a totally different character than I originally intended, but I find him more compelling for the rest of the story because of it. The idea of this chapter mostly remained the same, but it evolved to be a better part of the story as a whole. 
> 
> I hope to get chapters four and five AND SIX out as soon as possible because chapter six is the "Halloween chapter" of the story. If I don't post that chapter out on Halloween, then what's the point?
> 
> If you wish to stay updated on the current status of chapters, follow my Tumblr (also greyjediwriter). I post links to this work as well as fangirl over stuff (Supernatural and AHS Apocalypse, anyone? I find it ironic I started posting this when that started airing. It was not planned, I swear on my dad's grave!). I also do song analyses for the Reylo fandom, so if you have any requests, just send me an ask!
> 
> Keep looking to the stars, everyone! See you next chapter!


	4. Shadows in Flash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily tries to process the horrors of the night before while at work, only to find that more horrors are happening to her loved ones, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: There will be mentions of a mass shooting. 
> 
> I will be posting a synopsis of the chapter at the end in case if you don't want to read anything that could trigger you into a panic attack or flashback. I will also be tagging the following around the mentions of it in case if you wish to read parts of the chapter:  
> *-*-*-*-*-
> 
>  
> 
> I'm not gonna lie, I am VERY nervous about posting this chapter and the next. It deals with a very sensitive subject that has been constantly on the news, especially for the US - mass shootings. I delayed publishing this chapter and the next in response to the shooting in Pittsburgh - it was just too soon to post it. When the shooting in California happened, I was stunned because of how close in time the two shootings occurred. But sadly, I shouldn't be that surprised in this day and age when violence and chaos wish to rule the world as well as the fact that there's at least one shooting every day in the US. If you are triggered at some point in this chapter, I am very sorry as that is not my intention - my intention is to write a memorable story that could potentially scare people for a moment, not trigger someone into a panic attack or flashback that can last a long time. Please stop reading if you are triggered by it and seek help from either a doctor or a licensed therapist. 
> 
> Also, there will be a mention of politics within the marked passages. This really isn't a trigger warning because if you get pissed off that's not being triggered - that's getting pissed off at something. So, if politics piss you off, get ready to be angry for a few hot seconds! 
> 
> But, at least with all that extra time I was able to revise and edit a lot, and even added details that help make this chapter stronger for the whole story. That being said, here's the playlist for the chapter:
> 
>    
> Hello (Evanescence Piano Cover) - Vitamin Piano Series  
> Thunder With Steady Downpour - Pro Sound Effects Library  
> The Unquiet Grave - from season 2 of Penny Dreadful  
> Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars  
> Healing Katniss - The Hunger Games Soundtrack (James Newton Howard)  
> The Day He Died (The Omen Soundtrack) - Jerry Goldsmith

October 29, New York Times Main Office, 2:42 p.m.

Lily read through all the New York based papers, finding a short article on Mia’s death in each one. Cops still hadn’t found the semi or the driver who ran her over. It was like both had vanished into thin air, never to be found. No mention how Lily witnessed the entire thing, and thankfully they didn’t disclose Andrew’s or Raven's names either. It took a lot of talking or arguing with other reporters late last night to make sure that didn’t happen. Well, just one specific reporter...

******

_“No, you will not release his name or mine or Raven’s, Martin!” Lily yelled over the phone. Martin drawled on how Damien Thorn was there, and she’s not trying to protect him. “I’m not, but I’m warning you that if you release that information, you and the Post will be sued like no other by Armitage Global. As far as we know, he fled the scene to keep his presence known from the public.” She turned toward the couch._

_Raven walked over to Andrew with cups of tea and gave him one. Isis slept next to Andrew on the couch, head resting on his leg. He stared at the mug in his hands as soon as he wrapped his fingers around it. He kept falling into trances of nothing, first seeing all the antiques and junk that Lily and Raven had to go through, then the coffee table in front of him, and now the tea he should drink._

_Lily understood how he felt. She expected this to happen since that was how she acted after getting the call about her mother's death. She had days where she herself stared into nothing, the moments hearing her coworker's cries of sorrow - the words "your mom is gone" ringing over and over - and she found herself staring at an unfinished article due in the next hour or finding a completely different movie playing on the television. Thankfully, Lily had help from her therapist, and the bouts of being frozen in time lessened in amount and frequency. She still had her moments, but now she's able to look at the good memories and feel happy and lucky to have those memories. Andrew had a long journey ahead of him, and she hoped she and Raven can help him mentally get on track. She gently touched his shoulder, and he shook himself out of it._

_Martin asked if he could really release their names for the article. Lily’s throat heated up with rage. “No, Martin! How many fucking times do I have to tell you that you nor anyone else in the entire press is allowed to print our names for the article? You do not have our consent to put our names in there, and if you release any of our names, I’ll make sure all of us at the Times will sue your ass, too.” Martin tried to make excuses. Lily's hand flew in the air, and her voice grew with biting effect. “Martin, I don’t care if we were ‘college buddies’ back at NYU, you will not be releasing our names. If you try calling any of us about it, or we find our names in any article without our consent, you’ll be hearing from our lawyer as well as the Times’ lawyer.” She hung up the phone and fought the urge to toss it across the house._

_Raven tapped her fingers on her mug. “Why was he the only one fighting to put our names in the paper? Literally every other reporter said it was fine.” She picked up a third mug from the table and handed it to Lily._

_“I don’t know,” she replied. Her chest eased as the warmth of the mug seeped through her fingers. “Martin always had a grudge against me. I’m wondering if he thinks I got my job and everything only because of Mom and wants to ruin my career in any way possible.”_

_“Sounds like he’s a complete asshole,” Andrew muttered._

_“He definitely proved it tonight. I’m sure if he actually asked around, he would have found out that I only got my job because I had apparently given the best full review of the Met’s production of_ Lucia di Lammermoor _for the final round of interviews. ‘Enough information for the everyday goer as well as the opera enthusiast in the word limit,’ my boss said.”_

_“I remember Mom saying how proud she was of you, knowing that you inherited her gift of telling the truth,” Raven said. She swallowed her tea hard, her hand motioning to hold on for a minute. “Remember when the douche tried asking you out?”_

_Andrew raised his eyebrows. “Oh, that explains a lot.”_

_Lily shook her head. “He thought I was giving him signs that I wanted to sleep with him.” Isis raised her head and stared at Lily. She laughed and scuffed the puppy’s head. “There’s nothing to worry about, puppers. I told him that he smelled like stinky cheese and he had the personality of a germ,” she cooed with a baby-like voice._

_Andrew almost spat out his tea. He checked to see if he spilled any and clunked the mug onto the table. Air hissed at a high pitch from his throat and he bent forward. He brought a fist up to his mouth as his face turned red. His ribcage rattled with his snickers. “I’m sorry,” he piped, “I don’t know why I find that so funny!”_

_Raven’s mouth broadened into a smile. “Because it’s hilarious, that’s why. All the guys who were interested in Lily had no idea what they were in for. Too bad my boyfriend isn’t here, he would have tagged on like nobody’s business.”_

_“You’d really like Thor,” Lily told him. “He’s able to turn anybody’s frown upside down.” Andrew finally caught his breath and let it out slowly. Lily rubbed her hand in between his shoulders in the hope he’ll calm down more. “How about we hit the hay?” Andrew nodded, and they all headed toward the stairs. “You’ll take the master bedroom, Andrew. I just washed the sheets a few days ago.”_

_Andrew stared at her. “Are you sure?”_

_“Yeah, your feet will drape over the bed in my room.”_

_Thunder rumbled above them. Lily gazed up at the ceiling. “Didn’t think we’d be getting storms this early.”_

_Raven walked up the stairs. “I’d recommend you two to share that bed. You’ll both be jumping at the thunder.”_

******

KRRRRRSH-BOOM

Lightning fused right outside the nearby window. Lily flinched down as if the cubicle wall could protect her from the storm. Thunder rumbled through the entire floor of the Times. The pens in her supply cup clinked with the vibrations as well as the photos her mom left behind in the very cubicle. Lily had never been good with thunderstorms. Her mom always told her angels were bowling upstairs when she was a kid, and it slightly helped for a few years. Then one day during her sophomore year in high school, she just woke up screaming when a huge clap of thunder hit. She didn’t know if she had a nightmare or if she was half asleep when it clapped. Ever since, she had been a light sleeper during storms. She never wanted to wake up screaming like that ever again, and thankfully that didn’t happen last night. Still… What a day to have after what happened last night…

She went back to her computer, finding her own article half done. She wished she had the footage Damien filmed last night in order to reference back to it, but she probably won’t ever see it. How could he just up and leave without a trace, not helping Mia get out of the street? He may have been pissed because Mia refused to take the hint, but he may have been the only one who could get her back on the sidewalk.

_Blood sprayed on the road… entrails burst out from Mia’s body as the semi fled the area… her face merely red and black with gray atop her ruby-tinged hair –_

Lily squeezed her eyes shut, but Mia remained in the forefront of her mind. Her face flustered with heat, and she rested her head in her hands. She knew she had to go back to her therapist to help her with this. Right when she thought she was heading to a better mindset, too. Today could have been a nicer day if Damien chose differently. What an asshole…

Heels clunked onto the hard floor, growing closer to Lily. It echoed along with the thunder rumbling outside. Lily turned to the entrance, and her photographer Val Warner leaned against the cubicle edge. Her amber gold eyes still struck a chord even when covered with glasses. She rested her chin on top of the cubicle wall. “I really wish I didn’t have a migraine yesterday.”

“You’d probably end up with one, if you were there. Along with shock,” Lily replied. She rested into the back of her chair. “Did they figure out what’s causing it?”

“Chronic migraines. I’m going to be getting treatment for it and see what can keep most of them at bay.”

Lily nodded in reply. “I hope it can get fixed sooner than later. I hate seeing you in pain and not being able to head home because of it.”

“I hope so too. How are you holding up?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose, still seeing Mia’s body on the pavement. “Already getting flashbacks. I’ll need to book another session soon.”

“If you need to talk to someone, my door is always open. Your mom always helped me out when I was out with her on the job, and I can’t help but do the same for you and Raven.” Lily smiled at her, happy to know that Val still cared about her and Raven. Val was originally a world photographer - hired specifically for Lily's mom.

Sarah wanted to make sure whoever took photos for her had a secured job at the Times with a salary and benefits, and Val became a big part of the photography department when she was hired. Her techniques in Photoshop aren't like anyone else's - she could save the most damaged photo with her magic fingers. Well, magic computer. Val and Sarah became best friends over their time working, and Lily and Raven saw Val over at the house from time to time. Val ended up being the one who called Lily about Sarah's death and helped bring Sarah's body home. It was thanks to her that Sarah's death didn't become a grandiose display for all the news outlets to exploit for an agenda of whatever making, just like how Sarah wanted. One could say Lily was inspired by Val to protect Andrew from the same.

Val patted a huge manila envelope against the wall edge. “This came in not too long ago. Someone from Armitage Global. She said you would know what they are.”

Lily gaped at the envelope, her name scrawled in thick Sharpie. “I don’t fucking believe this.” She snatched it out of Val’s hand and ripped open the paper lip. “He disappears and doesn’t want to face me, huh?”

“What are you talking about?”

Lily took out the contents. Photos and a large flash drive fell out into a pile. “My date last night happened to be a retired war photographer and offered to take photos anonymously. When Mia got killed, he disappeared. He didn’t help, didn’t call for help – just ran the hell out of dodge.”

“And now he’s too scared to face you because he knows he did wrong,” Val finished. Laughter huffed through her nose. “Let me guess, Damien Thorn?”

Lily snapped up finding a smile of disbelief on Val’s face.

“I’d be careful with him, if I were you. He’s been more loyal to himself and the company he runs in recent years. It left his ex-girlfriend crazy if the rumor circuit is correct.”

“Yeah, well, he seemed really kind until last night. And that ex happens to be obsessed with him now. She found out we were going on a date, and I’m very sure I’m her new target.” She went through the photos. She shook her head and gazed through them again. “He may have been a great photographer a few years ago, but I think he started losing his touch when he retired.”

“Let me see,” Val asked. Lily handed her one, and she looked just as perplexed. “That’s weird. There shouldn’t be a shadow like that.”

“No,” Lily agreed. She switched from the first photo to the last photo Damien took. The first was the band photo, and a shadow seemed to hover over Mia’s entire figure. In the last photo was just Mia all by herself, but the shadow seemed to have darkened. It looked… _like the shape of a semi._

_BURRRRR – BURR-BURR –_

Lily tossed the photos onto her desk and backed herself away. That couldn’t be right. Her brain must have been making stuff up due to trauma. Yeah… This was probably just a coincidence and Damien didn’t see the bad lighting until he processed the photos. Maybe Damien decided to be an asshole to make a reminder of what happened, since he did take a few photos on his digital camera. Did the photos simply get ruined in his dark room?

“How the fuck am I going to use any of these for the article?” Lily snapped.

Val gently stepped into her cubicle and grabbed the photos and flash drive. “You forget I’m a genius with photoshop. Maybe I can salvage something from the flash drive.”

“I hope you can.” She stared at her computer. “This article is going to be a lot harder to write.”

“Kemp?!”

She stood up finding her boss Alan at the edge of the cubicles. He lost his “head of the paper” demeanor with the donut powder on his otherwise crisp and clean work clothes and combed back hair. “No review on the band, just a tribute to the dead guitarist and her family. Have it ready by midnight for the morning.”

“I’ll aim for eight,” she replied. He waved at her and headed back into his office. She dialed her phone and called her editor to warn her of incoming article.

An eyebrow popped up from Val’s glasses. “An article done by eight tonight? That’s early, even for you.”

Lily saved her other article, revealing the article her boss wanted. “It helps when you finished most of it already. I was trying to set the right mood for the other article. Especially since I know Mia’s brother.”

“Know him?” She winked at her.

Lily scoffed, but she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She distracted herself with the article and typed away. “Nothing like that. We met before Mia’s set and he even tried asking me out. Raven said he’s a keeper, too. We had him stay at our house so he didn’t do anything stupid.”

“Isn’t that against journalist ethics?”

“I’m not trying to get answers out of him. I'm protecting him, like how you protected me and Raven after Mom died." She noticed Val staring at her with incredulous eyes, her lips pursed with disbelief. Lily turned back to her, and Val could see the truth coming out of her face. "I genuinely care about him, Val, especially since he has a career waiting for him in the wings. He’s days away from becoming a Nurse Practitioner.”

“Oh wow,” Val replied. “Is he good looking?” Lily held back her smile. For some reason, attractiveness always gets put into play with her and some of the other reporters. “Oh damn, make sure he stays at your house long enough for me to see!” She fanned herself to emphasize the need. “Well, I’ll get to work and fix the photos best I can.”

“Thanks, Val.” She heard Val’s heels heading to her own section of the floor when her phone rang. “Entertainment, this is Lily Kemp.”

Caller ID said it was the front desk. “Raven’s here, are you busy?”

“Send her up, doesn’t matter if I’m busy.” She hung up and continued working on the article.

*-*-*-*-*-

Alan scrambled out from his office. “SOMEONE SHOT UP NYU!”

“WHAT?!” Lily screamed. Other reporters gasped and looked up at Alan. She shot straight up from her chair to the elevator.

“Our investigative team just phoned me!” he shouted to her. “Five dead, fifty injured! They haven’t seen your sister anywhere!”

“She’s bloody coming up the elevator!” Alan and other reporters started cussing out a storm behind her while others immediately started calling family or contacts.

Everything blurred around Lily except the elevator doors. Raven was a teacher at NYU and created the New Age Religions major a few years ago. She wanted to show society that Wicca and other Pagan religions matter and should have the same recognition as the mainstream religions. She came out of the broom closet on campus, created a club for students who were interested in paganism, and had been interviewed by Lily’s colleagues because of it. It led her to being a well-known activist for Pagan rights the past few years. If Raven was targeted by a student or even by a bible thumper aware of her…

The lights blinked as the elevator moved closer to their floor. Lily didn’t want to believe it, they just witnessed someone die right in front of them and now Raven was a mass shooting survivor. A ding sounded, and Raven stood in the very center, all alone, eyes swollen with tears on her cheeks. Her hair and clothes were soaked to the bone and caused her body to shiver. Her fear and distress radiated through Lily’s bones, crawling up her neck. Lily pulled her out and crushed Raven in her arms. She tucked her chin on her shoulder. “I just heard.”

“He shot up the symposium,” Raven whispered. “I was about to talk about the devil and how Wiccans don’t believe in the concept.”  Her body shivered against Lily’s, and she squeezed Lily tighter to try and control it. She needed a blanket and something to drink, now. “I could hear the magazine go… it didn’t stop…” Bullets and screams rang through Lily’s ears. She wasn’t sure if she imagined it or got it off of Raven. Maybe both.

“You’re here, it’s all that matters,” Lily assured. “You’re safe here.” She brushed her sister’s hair back. “Do we need to take you to the hospital?”

“I don’t know.”

*-*-*-*-*-

“If you don’t stop shaking in a while, I’ll take you to the ER, okay?” She led Raven to her cubicle and sat her down. She opened one of her drawers to find her work floor essentials – a blanket, towels, tea to reduce anxiety, and a first aid kit. She yanked the towels out, had Raven sit on one of them while she dried as much as she could with the others. She took out the Supernatural-themed fleece blanket and pushed the box of tea onto the desktop as the blanket yanked it out into the air. She wrapped the blanket around Raven’s shoulders, the pentagram resting in between her shoulder blades. “Water or tea?”

“Tea.”

She picked a tea bag out of the box and found Alan standing there, too shocked for words. “She’ll be fine, might be taking her to the ER in a while to make sure she’s okay.”

He shook his head. “Lily, you don’t have to finish the tribu–”

“I have a few more sentences then I’ll be sending it to editing,” she replied. “But first, I need to make some tea. Want some?”

“Is it the anxiety reducing stuff?” he asked. Lily nodded as she rested her hand on Raven’s arm. He sighed with relief as his hair fell into his face. “Please. Also, I'll order Raven a pass card so she can come up here anytime.”

"Thanks, Alan," Raven replied. 

"It's no problem, kid." He stopped himself. "Sorry, I keep on forgetting you both are fully grown adults."

"Mom always told us she'll always think of us as kids, so we're used to it," Raven said lightheartedly. 

"We'll be right back, Raven," Lily told her. She took out another tea bag and walked to the break room with purpose, grabbing two Styrofoam cups and filling it with hot water from the dispenser. Tabloid magazines flooded the center table along with past prints, some articles even cut out and tacked onto the floor’s “hall of fame” board. Some of them were yellowed out, showing how some of them have been up for decades. She hoped her article will end up on there when it’s published.

*-*-*-*-*-

Alan leaned against the counter. "How many more fucking shootings do there have to be before the new gun laws are enacted across the country?"

"Tell me about it," Lily responded. "But of course, the fucking Republicans delayed it as much as they could. It seems like the only people they care about are the rich people and the psychopaths in this country."

"Seems like?" Alan retorted. 

*-*-*-*-*-

Lily huffed a laugh through her nose. She knew he needed a distraction before he starts gathering all the intel for the reporters. “How many deadlines do you have today?” she asked as she prepared the tea.

“Fifteen,” he replied. “I have another twenty due each day the next couple days.” He took his cup with gratitude. “Have you heard from any of Mia St. Lilith’s family at all?”

She grabbed a couple of cracker packs for Raven to nibble on and poured herself a cup of coffee. “I’m in contact with her brother, but I’m keeping him out of it as much as I can. He doesn’t need the press invading his life over something he couldn’t control.”

"You're protecting him?" He glowered at Lily as he dunked the tea bag into the cup. “He better be Jared Padalecki-gorgeous if you’re doing that for someone other than Raven.”

Lily's cheeks heated up. She shouldn't have ever told anyone at work that she's had a crush on that actor since the first season of Supernatural, and now everyone expected her future boyfriend to be that level of attractiveness. She bit her lips and fought through the slight embarrassment. “Funny enough he is, but he has a huge exam determining if his career will start soon.”

“Elite law school?” he joked.

Lily almost spat out her coffee. She covered her mouth to make sure none came out. “Nurse practitioner.”

“Ah, a noble career,” Alan responded. He lifted his cup towards her. “Thanks for the tea.” He headed back to his office.

“That drawer is usually unlocked,” Lily offered. “Just don’t steal my blanket.”

He turned back with a disgruntled frown. “Like I would steal a blanket that has the faces of gorgeous men on it.”

Lily pursed her lips and swirled the tea bag in the cup. “Does your wife know you’re also into guys?”

“Who said I was into guys? I’m straight.”

“Non-straight men usually say that when they’re in denial, like Dean Winchester!” Alan waved her off, making Lily burst into laughter. “The tea is getting DARK!”

“GET BACK TO WORK, KEMP!”

Lily went back to the cubicle to find a slight smile on Raven’s face, phone up to her ear. The tenor-like vibrations sounded like Thor. Lily relaxed as she watched her sister. The one person she needed to call was already being reassured. Raven kindly took the cup of tea and crackers when she hung up. “Do you mind if I get checked at the hospital near home?”

“We’ll have to take the train. I was running late today.”

“That’s fine,” Raven replied, “Thor will meet us there.” She watched Lily sit back down. “That tribute you’re writing is beautiful. Andrew will love it, at least.”

“Good. I’ll be finishing it up and we’ll start heading home.” She went straight back to typing.

“Do you know what time he’s getting off his shift?”

“Seven. I still don’t know how he went into work after the accident and on only two hours of sleep,” she told her sister.

“He got up at three?!” Raven exclaimed.

Lily nodded. “I tried to get him to not go into work, but he wouldn’t listen.” She thought back to that morning in the hopes of it being a good distraction from the flashbacks…

******

_Sandalwood and citrus filled Lily’s senses. Her eyes opened to near black, the light from the bathroom glowing from the other side of the room. Andrew’s tall figure blocked some of the light as he put some belongings back into his duffel bag. Lily squinted to see him better – he wore his scrubs._

_“Andrew?”_

_He gazed up from what he was doing. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.” His voice was quiet and gentle, giving Lily the urge to stay awake._

_“Are you heading to work?”_

_“Yup, I don’t think anyone can cover my shift so I’m heading in.” He moved the duffel to the decorative couch._

_She turned her head over to her nightstand. It was four in the morning. She could already imagine Andrew messing up while being sleep deprived. “Andrew, you should stay home. You’ve hardly gotten any sleep and your exam is in a few days.” She sat up. “You need to rest and try to focus on that.”_

_“I also have to deal with the funeral arrangements.”  He sat down and put on his watch._

"We _have to deal with the funeral arrangements,” she corrected. “We have time because the coroner will be examining Mia for a few days.”_

_Andrew leaned over on his fist. “Still, I’m going to work. I can study during lunch.”_

_Lily grabbed his hand before he lifted himself up. The muscles in his hand stiffened at her touch. “Andrew, please stay home.”_

_He enveloped Lily’s hand into his own. She squeezed in response, and her hope for him staying rose. His stared at their joined hands –_ he was thinking about it. _He was going to stay home to rest! He gently pulled her closer to him, and Lily’s stomach fluttered as the scent of sandalwood and citrus grew stronger. They came face to face, noses nearly touching. “Only when you’re my girlfriend, fiancé, or wife could you get close to convincing me,” he muttered._

_Lily’s shoulders slumped. No one will be able to change his mind. She started wishing she was his partner in some shape or form so she might be able to. He needed to process what happened and worrying about work wasn’t going to help. She huffed in angry defeat. “Fine. Just… let me know how you’re doing throughout the day – when you can. I know there are times where you can’t in any way.”_

_“I’ll try. I’ll see you and Raven later tonight.” He grabbed his track jacket and backpack. His headed down the stairs and the bells on the door signaled his leaving._

_Isis popped out from Lily’s room, whimpering at the already gone Andrew._

******

Lily hadn’t heard from him at all. She should probably call and check, but she will when it didn’t feel like her insides were fluttering as sandalwood and citrus filled her senses like a phantom…

“At least my class didn’t start until one,” Raven said. Lily snapped her head and continued typing. Raven slurped her tea. “I know I’m in shock yet again, but at least I get to see you melting like a candle over the guy you should be trying to get a date out of. After his certification exam maybe…”

Lily bit her lips, making Raven giggle again. She doubled checked her work and sent the article off to her editor. “How do you get into your work email?” She knew talking to Raven about Andrew might be a good thing, but she wanted to make sure she didn’t end up in her own pool of mess while doing so.

Raven guided her through the website and logged into the email. Several emails were already in the inbox, including ones from students. Lily ignored those for Raven to read when she was ready and found the message from the office of the president. Raven hovered over her shoulder as Lily read it.

“Classes are off for the _next few weeks_ to cooperate with the police and to have vigils and counseling for students and staff,” Lily told her. “There's bad damages to the building, so most events will be cancelled.”

Raven nodded as she realized she won't be going to work for a long while. Her classes took place in that very building. “You don’t mind me moving back in? Thor, too?”

“It’s _our_ house, Raven. Not mine alone,” Lily replied. She logged out of the email. “Thor is always more than welcome to come live there. And it can be Andrew’s home, too, if he wants.”

“Saves up money to try and get out of the city. And an engagement ring…”

Lily slowly turned to her, her mouth agape in shock. “Is Thor going to finally propose to you?”

“Hey, I was talking about Andrew getting a ring for you!”

Val came back. “Trying to marry her off already?” Raven turned, and Val quickly dropped her things onto Lily’s desk and brought Raven into a tight hug. “Thank the universe and your mother, you’re okay!”

“Physically, at least,” Raven mentioned. She noticed the stuff Val dropped. “Are those the photos from last night?”

“Yeah, that’s what I came to talk about before you left.” Val handed Lily the photos. “You didn’t tell me these were taken on a classic camera.”

“Some of them were.” She stared at the photos again, noticing the semi-truck-shaped shadow.

“It may not have been Damien who caused that. There’s been a phenomenon noted over the decades, specifically with classic photography. When someone takes a classic photo, the way that person will die shows up via a shadow or light. There’s no sign of damage on the film, there weren’t any signs of the ‘blemish’ during the taking, and even when the black room is in perfect conditions, this thing happens. The more noticeable the shadow or light is, the closer that person is to their death.” She held out another photo. "Here's the most famous example. A few decades ago, a photographer named Keith Jennings took photos of a priest in London. He noticed a strange shadowed line in the first photo he took. He knew it was strange because he took the photo out in broad daylight. No damage anywhere he could find, so he grew curious. When he found the priest again a while later, he took more photos. They turned out quite interesting."

Lily and Raven took the photos from Val, and Lily immediately noticed the age of the photo. It had to have been taken around the 70s to early 80s. In the very heart of the photo stood the priest Val mentioned, who stared at the camera as if he just noticed the photographer taking his photo. Right above his fedora-like hat rested a dark mark - as if it was a slight shadow of a pipe or even a blemish from damaging the film or print. They switched to the other photo, and Lily's heart pulsed harder than normal. The priest stood in front of a tree, and the shadow from before was there, only darker and making contact with the priest's right shoulder. 

Raven shrugged. "So, did he get electrocuted or something?"

Val chuckled lowly. "Not even close." Lily took the final photo from her. She gasped. 

Taken in a churchyard, the priest seemed to hang yet stand on his very feet. A gigantic pipe ran right through the priest's body, angled down through the right shoulder and bursting out of his torso on the opposite side. The pipe end dug into the ground, leaving his body to stand upright. 

"What the hell is that?!" Lily exclaimed. 

"A weather vane that fell off the church he presided over," Val answered. "Witnesses heard lightning struck, then the priest's screams, then nothing."

Lily pulled out the final photo Damien took, where the shadow overwhelmed Mia. Her head shook as Val's words reran through her mind. No, it wasn’t right. “It can’t be that, that would mean Mia's death was predetermined. It’s just urban myth.” She tossed the photos onto the desk. “Damien probably fucked with it to make us think it wasn't his fault or something.”

Val slunk to the cubicle edge. “You’re fucking Wiccan, and you’re skeptical about this? There’s proof right in the photo!”

“It’s because I’m Wiccan that I’m skeptical,” Lily retorted. “So many have said so many things, both in our community _and_ in the major religions that it leaves the supernatural to be a very sketchy concept.” She held the photo up to them. “And the photo _may_ have been tampered with. Damien was a photographer, too, so he would also know about that phenomenon as well. It’s too much of a coincidence, Val.”

“We could ask Chantico or Kirana about it when we all meet next,” Raven suggested. She straightened. “Wait, I’m High Priestess, I can ask if I want.” She started nodding at bobblehead speed. “Yeah, I need to get checked at the hospital if I’m acting like this. Especially since I hit my head trying to get me and other students out.”

“YOU HIT YOUR HEAD?!” Lily screeched. She grabbed Raven’s shoulders, staring into her eyes.

One pupil was bigger than the other.

She cursed herself to bits. How did she not check for a concussion?! She should have checked when she got Raven to sit down! Stupid, stupid, stupid! She swerved around to her computer, shut everything down, and snatched her coat. “Hospital, _now_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Synopsis of Shadows in Flash:
> 
> Lily reads the other New York papers on the coverage of Mia's accident. The semi nor the driver have been found, and Lily talking to the investigating reporters paid off as she didn't find hers, Raven's, or even Andrew's name in the articles. She remembers back to when she argued with an old colleague over having their names in his article, ending with threats to sue him and the paper he works for if he puts their names in. Lily then tells Andrew how the guy was an asshole and might be getting revenge for not going out with him in college. She gets back to working on her article and wished Damien would give her the footage from the night before. It ends up causing a flashback to Mia getting run over, and Lily can't help but blame Damien for it all. Her go-to photographer comes to her cubicle with an envelope from Armitage. Lily notices the photos were messed up - a shadowy figure shaped like a semi grew darker with every photo Damien took of Mia. Val takes the footage in hopes of salvaging it for the article. After the front desk asks if Raven could come up, Lily's boss runs out of his office saying NYU just had a mass shooting. Lily panics because Raven's reputation as a Pagan rights activist could make her a target. Lily finds Raven in shock at the elevator, and she tries to help her come out of it as best as she can. Lily finishes a different article her boss wants, and Raven asks when Andrew gets off, and Lily tells her - also mentioning how he not only went to work on two hours of sleep but after he witnessed his sister dying. Lily remembers trying to convince him to stay home that morning, only to find he won't be convinced otherwise unless if she was his girlfriend, fiancé, or wife. It leaves Lily distracted and in a blissful haze for a few moments. Val comes back, relieved to find Raven alive, and explains the phenomena of photos taken on a classic camera - which Damien took some photos on last night. When someone is close to dying, the way they die shows up on a photo via a shadow or light. Lily is not convinced as that leans on the idea of supernatural beliefs, which she is very skeptical of despite being a Wiccan. Raven says she'll ask their fellow coven members about it, then mentions how she should head to the hospital as she hit her head while escaping NYU. Lily panics, finding Raven does indeed have a concussion, and she cusses herself out because she completely forgot to check Raven for a concussion. She locks up her computer and orders Raven to head out for the hospital.
> 
> ***
> 
> This chapter was written and edited by only me. I don't have any beta readers or critique partners.


	5. Making Up for It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily takes Raven to the hospital near home and finds Damien there. 
> 
> Trigger Warning: There are mentions of a mass shooter throughout this chapter. There will be a summary of the chapter in the endnotes. No markings to warn throughout the chapter as there's too much mentioned throughout it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! A shorter chapter this time around, but not every one has to be super long! Here's the soundtrack to this part of the story:
> 
> Laurie's Theme - Halloween Soundtrack (Original 1978 Version)  
> Laurie's Theme - Halloween Soundtrack (2018 Version) <\--- Yup, there are now officially two versions of Laurie's Theme  
> Allyson Discovered - Halloween Soundtrack (2018 Version)  
> A Doctor, Please - The Omen Soundtrack (1976 Version)  
> The Bogeyman - Halloween Soundtrack (2018 Version)  
> Love Eternal - Bram Stoker's Dracula Soundtrack  
> Mina/Dracula - Bram Stoker's Dracula Soundtrack

October 29, North Central Bronx Hospital, 5:32 p.m.

All the city hospitals near work were overcrowded, so Lily took Raven to the ER they always went to near home. People of all ages plastered onto the leather-cracked seats, children and the elderly sneezing and coughing alike, but the ER brought the new patients back as quickly as they could. Remnants of the ‘70s seeped through the walls and floors – hints of darker colors painted over with white to hide the decades of constant sterilization and neglect, making it even easier to see the dark police uniforms standing around the entire lobby.

Alan kept Lily up to date with the investigation since they left the Times, and the FBI was called in after Raven fled campus. Numbers of the wounded and dead rose as they went to the hospitals near Times Square. The shooting had a particular target – Raven. It was a student from NYU who kept anti-pagan propaganda in his dorm room and belonged to one of the unsanctioned groups on campus. All students who belonged to that group have been called in by the police for questioning. 

_Ba-dink!_

Lily took her phone back out, and another text came through:

_Ten people now arrested for conspiring to assassinate Raven. Heard from the dean of NYU that they’re going to have the pagan classes skype chat only for the rest of term. Apparently this operation is running deeper than originally thought – Alan._

Lily shut her eyes with the final text. This was not good at all. She and Raven knew this would eventually happen, but they didn’t know how soon it would be. With shootings nowadays, the constant anxiety of wondering when it will happen stays hidden underneath every single person, and when it actually happens and they survive, they couldn’t believe it actually happened then. The gun control laws have yet to be enacted in full across the country, and it seemed all the mass shooters were getting their fill in before they lost their guns due to poor mental health.

She scrolled through the television news sites, and the Vatican stated they’re against the violence, but “that’s what happens when someone like Ravenna Kemp turns away from God to the devil.” Lily wasn’t surprised by what they said, but it still stung. They’re supposed to help those in need, but they turn a blind eye away from those who think of the divine differently. Sure, the pope washed the feet of Muslims when he first started out, but the entirety of the Vatican still shouted that pagans were devil worshippers and continuously shoved it down the public’s throat. And now, it was to the point where people believe it and some become motivated to enact violence on them. This was why Raven called for pagan rights and became a public ally to other religions being persecuted by society, to stop people of authority from othering the communities. So many people have done horrific things to other religions, and it needed to stop altogether.

Raven draped over Lily’s shoulder in the chair next to her. “Do you think a lot of the hospitals upped police presence because of NYU?”

“There weren’t this many in Manhattan,” Lily replied. Cops kept an eye on all the patients and the doors, some of them standing like stone while others looked neutral and calm. She counted at least ten around the lobby, and most of them have been here since she and Raven came in. Once one of the cops found out that Raven was here, more of them came to help guard the doors and guard past the doors to the ER wing. “Maybe someone from jail got brought in and he's really dangerous.” An email notification popped up, and her editor's name was in the header. She looked at the email, finding that her tribute to Mia was one of the best articles he's read in a long while and that he didn't think there needed to be any edits for it. He sent it to Alan for final approval. She blinked at the message and read it again. Her editor _never_ said that about a rough draft of anyone's article. Ever. "Since when do I write perfect drafts?"

Raven raised her fist in the air, "Yay, Lily!" Her arm plopped onto her stomach. “Remind me to call out the Vatican for doing the very things that caused me to not only leave my father’s parish but run away from his home. I don’t know if I’m going to remember much since I have a concu--” Her mouth opened wide to a yawn. She wrapped the fleece blanket around her tighter, not caring that it was soaking wet from the rain they walked through to get there. Lily studied her sister and nudged her up. She had a feeling Raven was going to be staying overnight if she's starting to get sleepy. "Right... awake... don't fall asleep because that's a bad sign."

The main doors opened, and a tall man with bleach blonde hair came into the lobby. Lily straightened up, and Thor saw them. He ran to them and yanked Raven into an embrace.

“You okay?” he breathed.

“Not really,” Raven replied. She swayed in her boyfriend’s arms and pointed at her head. “I have a concussion.”

He caressed her head, kissing it all the while. “Concussion we can handle. Hell, we can handle anything as long as you’re alive; literally, figuratively, and all the Renaissance innuendos.”

Lily fought the laugh that wanted to come out. Thor was a classmate of hers while at NYU, her being an undergraduate and him getting his masters in vocal performance. He always used his knowledge of classical music for laughs whenever he could, especially the joke that when someone died in a Renaissance era song, it meant they orgasmed. Otherwise, he continued being the lovable clown that he was. Raven giggled as she rested her head on Thor’s shoulder.

A nurse came out from the back. “Ravenna Kemp?”

Lily and Thor helped Raven toward the nurse, and she guided them to the ER unit.  

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to put you in a room immediately,” the nurse told them. “The units are under severe restrictions right now, so the nurse caring for you will have to start the process of admittance here, then take you to an assigned room.” She opened the door to the multiple stalls of cots. She pushed one of the curtains back and guided Raven to the hospital bed inside. “Because you were at NYU, we’re posting an officer at your room’s door for security. He’ll meet you when you’re put in a room.” She quickly left towards the front before anyone could say thank you to her.

Raven, Thor, and Lily stared at the each other – this was not normal for a hospital. Lily sat next to her and held her hand.

“This is weird,” Raven muttered, her eyes half open.

Lily stroked Raven’s hand with her thumb. “At least you’re not in the waiting area until you’re about to fall over drooling.”

“She's already drooling on your jacket,” Thor added.

Raven turned her head toward the curtain and gasped. Her arm slowly rose with a wave. “Heeeeyyy…”

Lily followed her line of sight and froze at who stood at the stall’s threshold. “Andrew?”

“Holy shit.” He rushed to the cabinet, grabbed an IV and a hospital gown, and threw Raven's file onto the computer desk. “Raven, are you okay with me treating you?”

"Yeah, you're fine..." she said slowly. 

Lily helped Raven sit up more, "Thor and I can get Raven into the gown, just do what you need to do." He handed her the gown and shut the curtains. Thor moved to the cot and lifted Raven to sit up more.

Andrew sat down and fired up the computer. He quickly typed away and said, "What happened, Raven?"

“NYU is what happened,” Raven told him. “Apparently, I was the target in today’s mass shooting…” She peeled off her clothes with Thor's help, and Lily put the gown on her. Thor asked if they were good, and Lily nodded as she tied the back of the gown up. He sat down next to the desk. 

Lily helped Raven lay down and take off her shoes and pants. “She’s been in shock, but she didn’t mention hitting herself in the head until much later,” she added. "She's shown more signs of a concussion since she told me. Different pupil sizes, slow reactions, starting to become sleepy, and probably others too."

“You’re Andrew, right?” Thor asked.

“Yeah,” he responded. They shook hands. “You must be Thor. Raven and Lily have told me good things about you.”

"Raven said the same about you," Thor replied. "I'm really sorry about your sister."

Andrew’s bobbed a nod. “Thanks.”

"We're good," Lily said. Andrew shot up from the chair and pumped a dollop of hand sanitizer onto his hands. He started hooking up the IV as Lily stroked Raven's hair on the other side of the cot. “Is it okay for you to take care of Raven since you know her?”

“Already noted on her file that she gave me permission, so we’ll be good,” Andrew replied. Within seconds, he put the IV in Raven’s arm. “Feel anything?” Raven shook her head, and Andrew’s smile came back. “Still got it. I’ll see how soon we can get you in for a CAT scan. You might still be here when I clock out.”

“I’ll give you the house keys when you do,” Lily told him.

“Lily, head home when he’s off,” Thor responded. “I can bring Raven home when she’s released.”

Andrew handed Lily a bag to put Raven's clothes in. “You locked the door when I left this morning?”

“Yeah, Isis was sad you left,” she replied. She stuffed all the clothes and the blanket into the bag.

“Anyone call to claim her?”

“Nope. I think she’s going to be the family dog now.”

Another nurse came in. Her short dark brown hair with blue ends made her look like a punk-inspired cherub, her brown eyes appeared smaller than usual, but her smile showed her satiric side. “Vampire looking for donations.” Sarcasm and boredom fueled her voice. She rolled a cart in, filled with vials of labeled blood and packaged needles.

“This is Maddie, she’s the phlebotomist for ER tonight,” Andrew introduced. “Hope you don’t mind her sarcasm.” He typed away on the computer, and Lily saw all the data he added to Raven's file.

Raven held her arm out. “I’m AB Positive if that’s your type.”

The nurse paused, staring at Raven, and nodded. “I like you.” Raven gazed over at Lily and waggled her eyebrows. The nurse chuckled, “Is this how she usually is or did she whack her head hard?”

“Maybe you’ll find out later,” Raven replied.

“Raven, stop teasing both her and me…” Thor cooed.

Raven liked flirting and didn’t care who it was as long as the person in question had a sense of humor. Ever since she moved in with Lily and Sarah, she was able to explore her sexuality safely and without repercussion, and her flirtatious side blossomed. Lily leaned against the wall by the computer so she didn’t get in Maddie's way. She leaned towards Andrew, her hair gracing the top of the hard drive. “You doing okay?”

Andrew remained quiet for a bit, typing away. “Not sure.” He appeared more disheveled than he did that morning, and a five o’clock shadow graced his jawline. Did working in the ER make him look like this after every shift or was this grief leaking through?

Either way, her insides fluttered. “Are you able to tell us why the ER is a temporary check-in room?

His head or mouth barely moved. “The shooter is handcuffed to a cot.”

Her eyes widened. The shooter was here – alive, no less?! She tried to keep her voice in a whisper, but her shock kept it up high in the rafters. “How?”

Andrew nodded and continued typing in Raven’s profile. “Cops were able to shoot the gun out of his hands before he could put the gun in his mouth.”

“All right, heading to lab,” Maddie told Andrew. “Page me if we get a sudden influx in here.” She looked back at Raven, “Stay awesome.” She carted the blood vials into another wing, as Raven’s smile turned smug.

“Will we see him when we head to the room?” Lily asked.

Andrew shook his head. “Only me and a few other nurses know where he’s at. Cops surround all entrances and a few cops are inside with him. He’s sedated right now to make sure no one can hear him while in here.”

“I’m surprised cops got to him,” Raven interjected. Her eyes raged as she bore into the ceiling. “I hope you made every little thing painful and he gets what’s coming to him. And I can sense which room he’s in.”

Dammit. “More reason to send Raven to her room,” Lily told Andrew. "Also, this conversation never happened and you never told us such a thing as insane as the shooter is cuffed to a cot in an undisclosed location."

“Wait, the shooter’s here?” Thor asked. 

Lily looked up to find panic is his eyes. “I’ll tell you about it when Raven’s in her room and no one can hear us,” she responded quickly. “We’re okay.” Thor's shoulders relaxed, and he took his chair to Raven's side. 

“I’ll hear when her room’s ready and take you back,” Andrew added. “I’m requesting the CAT scan to make sure Raven doesn’t have a severe concussion since she’s showing signs of one in general. I’m good friends with the people running it tonight, so I should be able to get you in quickly.”

Lily squeezed his arm, her fingers acting like sparklers against his skin. “Thank you.” Andrew gazed at her, seeing how much she meant it.

He smiled, “It’s what I’m here for.” He got up and took out a small flashlight. “Raven, I’m going to check your eyes, okay?”

Lily heard the exit doors to the front open.

“Why can’t we see him? He’s our intern!”

She straightened and peered out. _Ann Rutledge?_

“I’m sorry,” the nurse from the front replied. “But we’re under strict orders from the New York Police. No one can see him, not even family.” Lily’s stomach dropped – _Ann knew the shooter_. She inched out enough to find Ann and the nurse along with an entourage of people behind them. The nurse headed Lily’s way, but possibly to the cops watching their prisoner.

A man followed after her, “Miss, it’s a matter of urgency that we speak with him.”

Lily’s heart burst. “Damien?!”

Damien’s head jerked up, and his face slacked. Whether from fear, guilt, or both, Lily didn’t know. She hoped both as she stomped over to them.

“Lily?” he asked.

“What the hell happened to you last night?” she spat out.

The nurse took that as her cue. “I’m sorry, but I have patients to tend to.” She headed back to the front. Damien bit his lips as the nurse walked away. Everyone stared wary-eyed at Ann as they sensed her anger boiling over with her cold steel glare at the nurse. 

But not Lily. “You won’t be able to talk to him, anyway,” she muttered. The entire entourage gawked at Lily. “He’s sedated and under heavy watch, as you could tell from the lobby.” Damien noticeably blinked, clearly shocked that Lily knew who they were talking about.

“Well,” Ann said calmly. Lily kept her emotions reeled in as she watched Ann switch masks as easily as switching her purse to her other hand, the calm and professional businesswoman returning to the surface. No wonder why Ann was the CEO of Armitage - she knew how to be a two-faced bitch for the company's interests. “I guess we won’t be able to talk to him until he’s booked by the cops. I’ll see who can lift the restrictions for us.” Some of the entourage started scribbling on notepads and typing on phones.

“You do realize my sister is in here because of your intern’s actions?” She crossed her arms, waiting to see how Ann responded.

“Then I’ll see what can be done to ensure this never happens again,” Ann blatantly answered, her trained smile back in full view. She brought her attention to Damien. “I expect you back in your office by eight tomorrow.” She and a few others walked out.

Damien’s sigh fumed out from his nose, but he let his guilt show when he turned back. “I meant to call earlier.”

“Bullshit,” Lily replied. “You could have come to the Times today and explain yourself then.”

“Yeah, well, I had to deal with Ann who’s getting on my last nerve –” He stopped and breathed.

“Mia’s blood is on your hands, you know.”

His head flinched as red blushed over, “What are you talking about?”

Lily’s voice cracked, “Mia’s dead. Ran over by a semi because she wanted to prove herself to you.”

Damien’s expression dwindled into shock. "What?" Lily gawked at him – he didn’t know. Somehow within the _past eighteen hours_ , he never learned about Mia’s death. He stood there, staring into the floor. “I –”

“Tell that to Andrew,” she told him. She headed back to Raven. Just because he didn’t know doesn’t excuse him from the fact.

But Damien grabbed her arm. “I will.” Every fiber in Lily’s body froze up. This wasn’t supposed to happen, she was supposed to walk away and have Damien burn in the tracks behind her. “Please, Lily, I’m sorry. I didn’t think something like that would happen.”

“No one does, now let me go.” She tried moving out of his grip.

“Wait.” His hand stayed firm. Was he really this persistent?

Lily made sure her eyes pierced through him. He was not going to win this. “Why should I hear what you have to say?”

Pity oozed over him as his head tilted slightly, eyes twinkling in the blaring hospital lights. A different part of him lit up, “Because I’m human and can really fuck things up?”

She tried to swallow down her frustration. He really knew how to look coy and forgivable. Something told her to walk away, but the urge in her stomach told her different. Maybe Mia’s death was just a coincidence and Damien really had nothing to do with it. It could have been anyone in the bar who motivated Mia to prove herself. Still, he should have told her to get off the street and then threaten to leave if she didn’t. But… Mia’s actions were her own. It was her decision to walk out into the middle of the street. She peered up at Damien. His eyes still held the kindness like all the times before…

She relaxed against his grip. “Talk.”

He waited until the nurse and a new patient went into another stall. “I'm sorry. I had no idea Mia was killed last night. I became so angry at her because she was hitting on me when I was clearly with you. I stormed away and headed home to cool off. I meant to call you earlier today, but Ann threatened to falsely expose you if I contacted you. I sent the photos to the Times and told my secretary to tell you that I’m sorry and that I’ll call you after work.”

“Well, someone didn’t relay the message, and why should I believe you?” Lily asked.

Wheels lightly clanked against the hospital floor, and Raven, Thor, and Andrew popped out from the stall. “Lily, we’re heading to the room,” Thor told her.

“I have to go,” she told Damien.

“Lily, please, let me make it up to you,” he begged behind her, squeezing her arm with desperate strength.

Andrew paused himself and the bed as he heard Damien’s voice. Lily stood in place, not sure how to answer, but Damien stepped toward them. “Andrew.”

He stared at the connecting link between Damien and Lily, but when he switched to Damien, his eyes transformed into metal-plated walls. “Thorn,” he replied plainly.

He squirmed in his suit and finally let go of Lily’s arm. “I’m sorry about your sister. I didn’t know that was going to happen.”

Andrew nodded, clearly not buying it. “It’s all right. You’re not allowed at her funeral though.”

Damien nodded with a smile. “Fair enough. Let me know if you need the funds for it.”

“I’m sure Lily will let you know,” he responded. Lily’s heart and stomach fell out onto the floor – or at least it felt like it. She was sure Andrew or Thor would have noticed. She did not want things with Andrew to get all messed up so soon. He gazed over at Lily, and his eyes gentled knowing the guilt she’s reverberating. “Your purse is on her bed, just ask the desk where she’s at in case you can’t find us.”

“Okay,” she said, and Andrew guided Raven’s bed into the back section of the hospital. She turned back to Damien, finding even more guilt on his face. Why did she have the feeling she was going to regret this? “How do you want to make it up?”

“Another date? Start over?” he asked.

She glowered at him. Is he serious? “You think a date can fix everything? I should have you go into a confessional for weeks on end before I even go on a date with you again!”

“What, you won’t let me get counseled by your coven?”

Her cheeks flushed in astonishment. “No way in Hel’s realm am I letting you near my coven in such a way until you prove yourself worthy.” 

“Oh, so you’re the leader?”

Lily blinked. Where the hell did that come from? “What? Don’t change the subject.”

A glint twinkled in his eyes. “Wait, you’re the leader of a coven?”

"Damien, stop trying to change the subject."

"But it sounds like you're a leader of a coven which is really cool." His face glowed with carefree as he smiled at her. 

Lily's heart hardened with irritation. "Why does it matter? You're changing the subject."

"What, are you just the "lieutenant" of the coven and someone else is the leader?"

Her hands clenched. “ _Stop. Changing. The subject_.”

He huffed a laugh, “Why won’t you let me know something about you?”

“Because you’re fucking changing the subject in order to win over an argument!” Lily growled with a clenched jaw. How is he so easily getting on her damn nerves? 

He looked disbelieved. “Will you calm down so I can ask you out?!”

"No!"

"Why won't you let me ask you out?!"

Her anger finally burst and her arms shot up in its fury. “FINE! WHERE?!”

His flicked his hand into the air. “I’LL PICK YOU UP AFTER WORK FRIDAY!”

“FINE!” She stomped to the back doors and slammed them open. She heard Damien scoff and stomp back to the front of the hospital.

Andrew ran past her, "Fifth door on the right. Raven's already heading for the scan," and he slid through the remaining gap between the doors before they shut. She turned to the right and shot her anger through the floor with every step. 

She paused as soon as she reached Raven's room. The seconds before played back…

Thor slowly inched towards her, his hands raised in front of him. She knew he could sense her fury and confusion by how slowly he walked to her. “Lily… what's going on?”

Everything clicked. “FUCK!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lily and Raven wait in the ER lobby by their home to get Raven checked. Cops surround the entire area as the sick cough and sneeze. Lily gets notifications from colleagues that the mass shooting was a targeted assassination attempt against Raven, and multiple people have been arrested and brought in for questioning. Raven's boyfriend, Thor, arrives and holds her tightly - thankful that she's alive. A nurse calls for Raven and explains to all of them that they have to be checked in at a stall instead of a check-in room, and will immediately be put in a room when it's ready. The nurse who happens to be checking Raven in is Andrew. He asks what happened, and Raven's signs of concussion are getting worse. Lily and Thor help her get into a hospital gown and Andrew starts the check-in process. Lily asks what's going on, and Andrew tells her quietly that the shooter is handcuffed to a cot and sedated so he can't be heard or get away with cops keeping guard. Only he and a few other nurses know where he is, but Raven tells them she can sense exactly where he is. Lily urges to get her into a room as quickly as possible, and Andrew tells her that he'll know when it's ready. Suddenly, Lily hears Ann Rutledge shouting at a nurse and realizes that the shooter was an intern at Armitage Global. Then, Damien's voice reaches her ear and Lily confronts him. He somehow had no idea that Mia died the night before and before he could say anything, she tells him to tell that to Andrew and walk away. Damien grabbed onto Lily's arm, saying that he will, apologizes for what happened, but Lily tried to leave. His hand stayed firm and pleaded for her to wait. She falls for his charm once again and tells him to explain. He does - he had no idea that Mia had died when he stormed off, and he didn't calm down until he woke up that morning. He meant to call Lily, but Ann threatened him to not, so he sent the photos to the Times and have his secretary tell her that he was sorry. Raven's room is ready, but Damien begged Lily to make it up to her as she tried to leave again. Andrew sees the situation, and his walls shoot up. Damien apologizes and tells him that if he wants him to help fund the funeral since he's not allowed there, he will. Andrew tells him that Lily will let him know and takes Raven to her room. Lily asked with a sense of regret of how he can make it up to her, and he asks to go out on another date and start over. Lily gets infuriated, especially when he kept on trying to change the subject. She finally bursts out what time, and Damien shouts this Friday after work. Lily shouts fine and storms into the back to Raven's room. Realizing that she got duped into a date, she screams a profanity in fury.


	6. Devil's Rite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily heads to a friend's Halloween party, and she finds how dark a Samhain night can be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S THE HALLOWEEN/SAMHAIN CHAPTER!!!!!!! I've been waiting way too long to finally release this to you guys! In case you don't know how Samhain is pronounced (Donald Pleasance said it SO incorrectly in Halloween II), it is usually pronounced as "Sow-een" or "Sow-when" depending on who you talk to. 
> 
> Here's the playlist for this chapter, and I have a lot from the Outlast video game if you couldn't tell:
> 
> Superstition - Stevie Wonder  
> Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers  
> Yeah! - Usher feat. Lil Jon and Ludacris  
> Let's Groove - Earth, Wind, and Fire  
> Swarm Ambience - Outlast Video Game Soundtrack  
> Arrival - Outlast  
> Finding Key - Outlast  
> Father Martin Part 1 - Outlast  
> Explosion - Outlast  
> Reveal - Outlast  
> Finale - Outlast  
> Even In Death (2016 Version) - Evanescence

Samhain, Kirana’s House – South Bronx – 7:52 p.m.

Andrew’s eyes pierced with rage along the sidewalk to Kirana’s house. “You’re going on another fucking date with him?!”

“Sorry, sis,” Raven groaned. She cussed herself out under her breath and rubbed her temple. 

Lily brushed her wavy blue hair back, praying she doesn’t smudge any of the body paint or makeup she and Raven did. “Oh good, you’re reacting the same way I did,” she said to Andrew. She lifted back the slit of her icy blue dress to the side so she didn't trip on it, holding her bouquet of blue and white roses with it. The underlining shame of Damien distastefully asking her out blossomed fully as she watched Andrew walk off in anger. She had no courage for the past two days to tell him what happened, and Raven blurted it out as they headed to Kirana’s Samhain party.

She should have seen that coming if she was being honest with herself. Raven's concussion turned out to be worse than everyone thought, and the doctor said her memory wasn't going to be the same for a while - including which secrets people didn't know at the current time.

Her heel tried to snag onto the skirt, so she held onto it as she tried to continue walking down the sidewalk. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, he just knew how to get a rise out of me and snag a date.”

Andrew shoved his hands in his pockets and his nose flared. Lily understood his anger, but she remained shocked at how pissed off he was. Then again, grief can make everything out of whack. “Can’t believe he got a rise out of you to snatch a date. He fucking got a rise out of my sister and looked what happened.” His jaw clenched tighter than the corset Lily wore. “And you couldn’t have told me?!”

“Because I knew this was how you’d react,” Lily replied. She rushed to catch up to him. “Andrew, I felt so guilty not telling you and for the fact that I let it happen to me.”

Andrew swerved to her, making Lily stop in his tracks. "Lily, do not ever say that you let stuff like this happen to you! It's Damien's fault that it happened in the first place, not yours. It's his fault that he ran off, it's his fault that he influenced my sister to walk into the road not having a care in the world, and it's HIS FAULT for getting you so angry that he duped a date out of you!" He stopped himself, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he looked at Lily again, he sounded and acted calmer. "If you had told me, Raven, Thor, and I could have helped you confront him and tell him the date was off. Hell, we could still do it if you wanted."

The guilt morphed into another kind. She should have told Andrew what happened. She should have said something when Andrew was done with his shift - he would have said what he said now and set her back in the direction she wanted to be heading in. Damien's words wouldn't have affected her as long as they have. Because of his puppy dog eyes, Damien freaking convinced her it was completely Mia's fault for her acting the way she did, as if _he_ was the victim in the first place. Immediately, red flags shot up in her brain - abusive people think and act that way. "I make take you up on that offer," she answered. A wind picked up, and her body tightened at the cold hitting her paint-covered arms and shoulders. “I’m starting to regret dressing up as Corpse Bride tonight.”

Raven's warm hands covered her shoulders, “Let’s talk about this after we get some of Kirana’s spiced cider.”

Andrew unbuttoned his suit jacket. "Here," he said. He took it off and wrapped it around Lily’s shoulders. 

All the houses and apartments on Kirana’s block burst with Halloween decorations. Music and sound effects blasted from their doors and windows. Little kids dressed up as Disney characters, superheroes, and classic monsters walked around with their parents trick-or-treating. Even a little girl dressed up as the Corpse Bride. She jumped up and down while holding her mother's hand, pointing over at Lily and Andrew. Andrew took Lily's bouquet and held her hand, guiding her to Kirana's house.

The little girl quickly shouted, “LOOK, MOMMY! VICTOR’S KEEPING HER WARM!”

Raven’s hand went to her heart. “Never stop being adorable, little Emily!” she said. The little girl waved goodbye and headed off to the next house with her mother. Lily’s heart fluttered, and her throat burst into giggles. Raven’s eyes glowed cognac under the lights, “Lily, we are making sure our kids are that adorable and have your giggles.”

“You expecting a little Beetlejuice pretty soon?” she jested, eyeing her sister’s cute feminized pinstripe suit.

“Haha, you're funny," Raven panned. "But, maybe in a few years, Thor and I might have a little Beetlejuice to take trick-or-treating.” She walked up the stairs and banged on the door.

Lily nudged her shoulder at Andrew. She offered him back his suit jacket. “Thanks.”

Andrew smiled. “No problem.” He exchanged her bouquet and put the jacket back on. He took Lily's hand and helped her up the stairs.

Raven banged on the door for the third time. “All of us need to bang on it so someone can hear.” Lily and Andrew set themselves where he would hit above them, and she and Raven would hit below. “On three.” Lily tossed her bouquet to her other hand. “One…” They set up their fist. “Two…” They amped up. “THR—”

Kirana opened the door, her gladiator cloak floating behind her. Her caramel afro and golden makeup contrasted with her dark skin in the porchlight. Her lips pouted into a frown, “If you break down my door, I swear to Goddess I will kill you.”

Lily straightened, “Then get the door when someone knocks!”

Kirana swiped Lily’s hand up, “You’re just the corpse I needed to see! Follow me, you three!” She yanked Lily into the house with Raven and Andrew trailing behind.

The party pumped with a classic Halloween tune, and Kirana’s friends and family populated all over the house. Cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns, and electric candelabras decorated the rooms. Orange, purple, and yellow holiday lights shined against it all. People danced like fools on the living room floor, children dashed after one another through the halls, and others populated the food table. Some of Kirana’s family members greeted Lily and Raven at the punch table, and Kirana tugged Lily and Raven away when they tried to chat with them. 

“I’m gonna need to take out another gallon of the cider,” Kirana shouted to herself. She finally let go of Lily’s hand when they reached the kitchen and took out a huge bowl from the fridge. “But, I wanted to make sure that you were the first one to try this before I set it out on the table.” She plopped it on the island between them and opened up the bowl.

Raven’s eyes widened, “You didn’t!”

Kirana grabbed a big spoon and a plate, “Only one way to find out if I got it right.”

Andrew raised his eyebrows, “Macaroni salad?”

“Lily’s secret recipe that she finally spilled to me during our Mabon gathering,” she scooped a big pile of it onto the plate, “and you sound like Andrew.”

Andrew shook hands with her. “Nice to meet you in person.”

She eyed him up and down. “Your handsome looks sure match up with your voice! And it's nice to meet you, too. I have everything ready for Mia’s funeral, but we can talk about that tomorrow. For now…” she held the plate up to Lily. “Moment of truth.”

Lily’s hands hesitated, but she took the plate. She forked a little bit of everything in it and chewed it up.

Everyone leaned forward and watched every movement of Lily’s face.

The mixture of mayo and miracle whip burst onto her taste buds, giving a perfect compliment to the macaroni, eggs, celery, and cheese mixed with it. Her eyes shut in bliss as it had no bite of raw onion, and the memories of her mom making the very thing glowed in her mind. Even days when she came home from school, she could smell it from outside the house, and her heart swelled. Wait. _This was a perfect recreation of her mother's recipe_. She scowled at the thought. “Goddess dammit!”

Kirana cackled at the sight. “I got it right! Now I’m no longer at your mercy for every Sabbat!” She applauded to herself and danced victorious to the Monster Mash.

Arms wrapped around Raven’s waist, and Thor’s bleach blonde hair peeked around her. “Hey, my ghoulish beauty.”

“Kirana cracked it,” Raven replied. She lifted a plate she made for herself.  

He picked up a fork and tasted the salad. He gawked at it. “Holy shit.” He shoved more into his mouth, then stared at Kirana with fear. “I regret everything I have said towards you and your venture to crack down Lily’s macaroni salad recipe.”

“HAHA!” Kirana boomed. “That’s what you get for being a smartass, Thunderhead!”

Lily scooped a pile of it for Andrew. “If this doesn’t make you happy, I don’t know what will.”

He ate some of it. “This is what yours actually tastes like?” Lily nodded. “I have a feeling I’m going to fall in love with you before I even ask you out.”

“PLEASE!” Raven and Thor begged.

Raven grabbed onto Andrew’s arm and became a whirlwind. “I don’t want her with Damien because I cannot tell if he’s a good guy or not. Fall in love with her, sweep her off her feet, marry her and have a wonderful life together, PLEASE!!!!!!”

“Seriously,” Thor added, “how have you two not at least fucked each other already? You look like a couple already, especially since you’re wearing Victor Von Dort and the Corpse Bride!”

Lily hoped the body paint and costume covered the embarrassing heat that bloomed all over her body.

Andrew’s makeup wasn’t helping hide his blush. “I’ll make sure Lily’s busy after her duped date then.”

“Wait, what duped date?” Kirana asked.

“Did Raven or Thor tell you about the guy I went out with the night Mia died?” Lily asked. Kirana nodded slowly. Her lungs took a dreaded breath. “I saw him again at Central North Bronx, and he pissed me off so much to where he got a date out of me.”

“OH, HELL NO!” she shouted. “That’s a toxic dude, right there! How many other survivors are there?”

“One –”

“That you know of!”

Lily flinched. Could there have been more than one ex-girlfriend who he left crazy? “She’s crazy obsessed with him and saw me with him when we set up our first date. Very sure I’m now her next victim.”

“Oh, future sister-in-law,” Thor said with a shaking head, “please don’t go on that date. Even I know it’s not a good idea and I’m an idiot.” Andrew spurted a spray of punch on the counter.

“Somebody get a towel!” Lily shouted.

“DON’T YOU DARE CHANGE THE SUBJECT!” Kirana yelled at her. “You text that son of a bitch and tell him the date is off! We’ll do a girl’s night thing and do face masks, read tarot, and watch fantasy and sci-fi movies!”

Lily pictured it perfectly and reached for her. She, Raven, and Kirana all sitting in front of the television, watching the infamous Reylo kick on the flat screen. Popcorn strewn everywhere while Kirana read the cards on the floor. In all the years they've known each other, they had never done anything like that. “Can we please do that on a daily basis anyway?”

“When’s the date supposed to be?”

“Tomorrow,” she groaned.

“Call it off later tonight, you’ll help me and Andrew with the funeral since you’re the Maiden of the coven,” Kirana told her. Lily nodded and felt a glimmer of hope in her situation.  

_Peace up, A-Town…_

“OOOHHHHHH!” the entire house shouted as Usher’s song pumped through the speakers. Thor pulled Raven onto the dancefloor and Kirana rushed after them. Lily headed along with them, but when she turned back to grab Andrew’s hand, she noticed he didn’t move.

He watched people join in on the dancefloor. His eyes were distant, and there was no hint of a smile. Lily knew exactly how he felt – wondering how the world can be filled with fun and happiness while he stood there with a loss that only few could see. Lily sensed it whenever she was around him, as if a bond similar to her and Raven's formed when Mia died. Yes, he was grieving, but it was Samhain – a night not only for remembering the dead, but for fun. She had to do something to make sure Andrew did the latter. At least for tonight.

She grabbed his arm, and he looked down at her. “Come on, Mia would have wanted you to have fun tonight,” she told him.

“Oh no…” Andrew moaned, but Lily yanked him toward the dancefloor. He shook his head and tried going back.

Lily turned toward the others. He's not going to get away with that so easily. “THOR, HELP ME REMOVE THIS WALLFLOWER!”

He gave Raven a twirl and danced his way towards them. “Victor von Dort,” he said with Pastor Galswells’ accent, “you dance with your wife THIS INSTANT!” He grabbed Andrew’s other arm, and they pulled him into the center of the dancefloor.

Andrew cringed as Thor let him go. Lily stood next to him, holding his hand while they watched everyone around them. Kirana danced along with other solo dancers while Thor and Raven danced like there weren’t kids nearby. The bass vibrated through their bones like a pulse, and smiles were all around. “Would Mia really want me to have fun?” Andrew asked over the loud music.

Lily looked up at him. “Yes, she would. The way she acted that night was the alcohol talking. She wanted you to have fun at her Halloween party, so why not have fun here?”

A smile barely inched on a corner of his mouth. “As long as you’re my dance partner tonight.”

Lily’s heart bloomed as her own smile widened. “All night,” she told him. He turned to her, taking her hands, and swayed along to the beat. Lily bounced to the beat, knowing her heels make it hard for her to dance like she normally would. Andrew eyed her weird. Within seconds, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up.

“Whoa, what are you doing?!” she yelped.

“Take the shoes off,” he told her. “I promise I won’t step on your toes later.”

Lily looked down at her feet, and she grabbed a heel and lifted it off her foot. Kirana popped right behind her and grabbed that shoe and the other one. “These will be by the door!” she shouted. 

"THANK YOU!!!!!!!" Lily shouted as Kirana danced to the front door. She looked down at Andrew.

“Now we can _really_ dance,” he said. He put her down, and Lily starts dancing to the song.

Raven and Thor cheered them on, and Andrew and Lily got into the song. He spun her around and even dipped her down. Lily burst into giggles at the ridiculousness Andrew played out. Kirana came back, and they all got into their own little dance circle and grooved along. They each moved into the center and showed off for a little bit, and all the other partygoers couldn’t help but dance along. Cheers roared as the song ended.

Another song kicked on, and they bopped along with it, clapping when the claps popped up. Lily danced up close to Andrew and stood on her tippy toes to have her arms reach up to his shoulders. He brought his forehead down to hers, his smile trying to break free.

“Thank you,” he told her.

“Anytime,” she replied.

Lily never wanted to get off the dance floor and stay with Andrew, and they didn't leave it. She wanted to see him truly smile and have fun, so that's what she was going to do. The music pumped through her, her body moved along to the beat, and Andrew danced his cares away. But still no smile. She danced closer to him, and he inched closer to her with his hips swaying. Her skin tingled against a brush of his fingers, and he took her hand and spun her around. She wanted him closer, but she didn't want to be forward that way in case he didn't want to.

But then, she heard it... a synthesizer and a voice saying to boogie on down. She swirled toward where the gigantic stereo was.

Kirana stood proud with her iPod in hand as “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind, and Fire pumped through the speakers. She waltzed back over to them, "You're welcome!!!!"

Lily's mouth blazed with a smile, "I bloody love you!!!!!"

"Wait, you love this song?!" Andrew asked. 

Her eyes widened as she turned back to him. "This is my all-time favorite song!" 

He brought himself close enough to where she felt heat reverberating off of him, and the scent of sandalwood and citrus came along with it. She fought off the urge to take him into her arms just to smell him. "Then let's dance to our favorite song." He took her hand, and they danced with an energy they haven't had before. Everyone cheered around them as they danced, and Lily took the jump and brought herself mere centimeters away from him. Her hips shivered as they brushed against Andrew's, and Andrew wrapped his arm around her waist to make sure she stayed there. The smell of him was all around her, the music pulsed against her heartbeat, and her head buzzed high into the clouds. She thought it was strange to feel like that since she didn't do anything except dance. Was it Andrew? Either way, she didn't care. She wanted him close and she wanted to see him be happy. Everyone danced closer to the floor when the singer started singing that they “could boogie on down,” inching closer to the floor every time the bass hit on the downbeat. Thor and Raven shimmied as they knelt farther and farther down to the floor.

“If we keep going down, we might as well be in bed!” Thor shouted.

"NOBODY IS GOING DOWN ON ANYONE TONIGHT, THOR!" Lily shouted back. 

Andrew burst out laughing, and Lily saw a band of white against his pink lips.

“You’re smiling!” she said. She brought him close to her. “You’re finally smiling!”

“Is that what this was all about?” Andrew asked.

“Yes, you dumbass! You’ve been moping for days when you’re home and you need a distraction!”

He held her close and chuckled. “Well, it worked. Maybe you should distract me more often.”

She shrugged. “How about after you take your certification exam?”

He nodded. “Deal.”

“HA!” Raven shouted. She pointed her finger at Lily. “Fucking told you!” Lily shrunk into herself, but Andrew lifted her back up and squeezed her tight.

“I have to say, Lily’s becoming a player,” Thor said with waggled eyebrows. Raven slapped his arm. “What? She still technically has a date with toxic dude and then she has another date around the corner!” Kirana whacked his arm. “Ow!”

“You may be a smartass, but you turn into a borderline jackass when you talk shit about Lily,” Kirana told him.

“Don’t say anything like that about her ever again!” Raven replied. “Lily is one of the sweetest people on the planet and she’s going to call off that date with Damien after the party!”

Thor nodded. “Sorry, Lily,”

Lily tilted her head toward him. “No harm, no foul.”

Raven took out her phone. “Let’s get a group selfie since Andrew’s smiling now!”

Everyone smushed themselves around Raven, and she lifted her phone up to where everyone was seen. Thor held onto Raven while Kirana wrapped her arms around both of them. Andrew wrapped his arms around Lily and rested his head on her shoulder. Lily rested her cheek on his, and both beamed with smiles. Raven clicked on the button a few times.

“That’s going on IG later!” she yelled. “And even a few cute pictures I took without a bunch of you knowing.”

Lily huffed, but something edged into her vision. She turned towards whatever moved in the corner of her eye, and golden hair peaked through some of the people dancing near her. She willed the people to move, and in a split second, the person came into full view. Her vision fuzzed over, only seeing a woman with blonde hair wearing black and hints of red. Her sight focused, and no one was there. She blinked over and over, did she imagine it? The world turned fuzzy again, and edges started turning black. She tried to breathe, but the air was too thick for her to take in. People fell off the edge of her vision and only white with colors glowed. Something grabbed her from behind, and Andrew popped up in sight. Weight pressed down on her, but nothing was on top of her. Black edged even more around her sight. Andrew gripped her tight.

“Lily, you okay?” he asked quickly.

“I don’t know,” she muddled. She rested her head on him, and the world stopped caving in on her.

Andrew lifted her off her feet. “Kirana, get some water and bring it outside!” Gold swished through Lily’s vision and splashes of neon green, black, violet, and orange streamed on by as stuffy air flowed on top of her skin. A latch clicked and cold hit Lily’s skin and hair. Her lungs sprung open, and the world stopped turning – only to be bouncing every time Andrew took a step. He gently placed her on the steps and sat behind her. “Just rest against me, okay? I think it got too stuffy in there.” He took his jacket off and wrapped around her shoulders. She fell back into his arms and tried to take as many slow deep breaths as she could. 

Kirana opened the door and latched it to stay open. “Here, Andrew.” Andrew took a cold bottle of water and opened it. “Drink up, Lily. We can’t have you fainting on all this fun.”

She grabbed the water. With a breath, she tilted her head back and downed it.

Andrew took it, “Just stay out here to cool off.”

Lily gazed up at him, seeing his emergency mode face. “Do you mind getting me my shoes?”

The heels inched into her vision. “Be careful walking around,” Kirana told her. “You should have brought a different pair of shoes along.”

Lily shrugged as she took them. “Oh well. There’s no way in hell I’m walking through the city without my shoes on. Unless if one of you wants to carry me all the way home.”

“I’ll go get another water. Andrew, do you want anything?”

He placed the back of his hand on Lily's forehead. Even though her insides felt like they were on fire, her skin felt like ice as the wind hit it. “Uhh, I’ll take some spiced punch," he replied. 

Lily heard Kirana’s shoes fade away. She stared at the neighborhood as she put her heels on.

The entire block stood deserted except for a party east of them. The air turned still, many houses dark past the orange twinkle lights. The shadows from the buildings overwhelmed the road with pure blackness. Almost as if there were portals to another world. No one walked around – not even teen trick-or-treaters – it looked like a demanding curfew came into place while they danced away inside.

“It looks creepier than normal,” Lily said.

Andrew leaned towards her and saw the deserted block. “It’s Halloween.”

“Samhain,” she corrected.

She gazed up at him, and a clever glint shined in his eyes. “Same thing.”

She shook her head and looked up past the stairwell and onto the western part of the block. Her back prickled as hairs rose on her neck.

A young woman stood not too far from them on the sidewalk. Her black leather jacket had torn into shreds at the bottom, the arms torn revealing little scabs on her gray skin. Her black pants dotted with splotches of even darker black. Her high heel boots worn with the gray of the pavement. Dark crimson splattered all over her already red and white blouse and all over her gray face. Black bruises bloomed underneath her aquamarine eyes. Her curled golden hair was matted down with red and gray.

“Lily,” she called out.

“Mia?” she whispered. She raised herself up slowly and blinked. Mia didn’t vanish.

“Lily!”

Her voice struck a chord. “Mia!” Lily responded. She lifted her skirts and stepped down.

Andrew grabbed her. “Lily, wha -?” He turned silent, but his grip quickly tightened around Lily’s arm. Even he could see her. “MIA!” They ran down the steps. How could Mia be there? They saw her get run over, _they saw her skull cracked open on the pavement_. Yet... she was there...

Mia held her hands out. “Lily, please!”

They stopped right in front of her. “Mia… what’s going on?” Andrew asked.

Tears streamed down her face. “Please… forgive me… I don’t know what happened, something came over me – took control of me. Like someone put a spell on me to make me dance for them. I didn’t mean for it to go so far, I shouldn’t have tried to take him from you, please forgive me!”

Lily carefully inched closer. “You’ve already been forgiven, Mia.”

“How could we not forgive you?” Andrew asked.

Relief loosened her face and more tears came out. “Thank you…" She stared Lily in the eye. "Please, use your powers on me before it’s too late.”

“Too late?” Lily replied. “What are you talking about?”

“Only you can save me!” Mia urged. “Your magic can save me from the sentence given to me! Hurry!”

“Mia, calm down!” Andrew said. He grabbed her hand in both of his. “What are you talking about, powers? She’s just Wiccan, like you are.”

Footsteps pounded from behind. “Holy shit, is that her?!” Thor shouted. Lily felt Raven and Kirana grab her arms and shoulders.

“Mia, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lily told her. “How can my powers save you?”

Light faded from Mia’s eyes. She yanked her hand out of Andrew’s and stepped back. “You don’t know… that means I can’t be saved…” Her head shook from side to side, her cries filled with pain and fear.

"Mia, tell me what's going on! I don't know how to help you!"

She froze, and her eyes widened at the pavement. “It’s too late.”

Lily’s stomach pulsed in time with her heart.

“They summoned me…” Mia looked back up at them, and everyone flinched back. The white of her eyes were blood red. “HHH –”

Red split open on her arm, blood gushing out onto her clothes.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

Andrew jumped towards her, but Mia backed away as her cries rose. 

SWISSH! Blood burst out from her other arm. "NO! PLEASE!!!!" Mia screeched. 

“Mia!” Lily yelped. She ran to her and grabbed her hand. “Stay with me!”

“AHH!” Something pulled on Mia with great force.

Lily fell forward along with her, the world fading to black.

******

Lily’s eyes opened to darkness. Gentle scuffles clicked by her and faded. She raised her hand up, finding cold metal curving along her hand. She tried raising it farther, finding another pipe brushing along the edges of her fingertips. She hoisted herself up from the floor and swatted away any possible dusts or webs off her costume. She carefully stepped forward with her hand out. Within a few clicks of her heels, her hand contacted brick. She felt around the area, only to find more brick and piping along the walls. She had to be in some sort of boiler room, but in an industrial building. How did she get there? She was just outside Kirana’s house –

Where she blacked out grabbing onto dead Mia’s hand.

She turned, and red light glowed at the other end of the room… Glowing from an ajar door.

She walked toward the light, and the shadows around her seemed to turn darker. She paused – what if whatever pulled Mia knew she was there? She walked on the balls of her toes, closer to silence than what her heels could do. Whoever was out there probably shoved her into the room, but it didn’t mean she had to let them know she was awake to flee from there.

She reached the door and tried to peer out. Only a wall glowed red in the small sliver of space. She pulled it farther as much as she could without making noise. No one stood right outside the door. Candle flames flicked in the corner of her eye.

Lily gasped and covered her mouth.

Endless black robes sat in front of her, some staying still as a rock, others swaying from side to side. An inverted cross held itself high against the wall in front of them. Murmurs flowed to Lily’s ear.

_Thank you for this offering… glory of the beast… Satan…_

Lily’s eyes widened at the sight. Why would Mia be here? She said she was Wiccan!

Whimpers formed from the front of the room, and Lily gazed upon a dark stoned altar. Mia rested on it, her body hiccuping in tears.

Lily’s heart flipped her into walking down toward the altar, heels be damned. She could kick one guy's ass, now she could see how many people she can fend off at the same time.

No one turned their heads as she rushed down the aisle.

She paused. Were these people that devoted into their prayers that they didn't hear her? She stomped her foot. Not even a twitch from the noise.

 _No one can see or hear me_ , she thought. _Am I dreaming or is something else going on?_

A swish of cloth caught her attention.

One of the people under the black robes had red on underneath – taffeta from the shine of it. Lily leaned down to see who sat underneath it all, but the person quickly shot her head up.

_Simone._

Her darkened eyes widened, baring into Lily’s. _She could see her._

Lily backed away. Her body pulsed with panic – What the hell was Damien’s ex doing here? Did she think worshiping Satan was going to give her Damien back? How could Simone – out of all the people in the room – see Lily when she clearly couldn’t be seen or heard? Simone opened her mouth –

“HAIL SATAN!”

Lily whirled around as the people repeated it. A woman stood behind the altar with her hands raised before Mia's bound body. Lily knew that voice anywhere…

Ann Rutledge raised her head towards her congregation.

Mia shook her head. “Please! Let me go! Why are you doing this to me?!”

Lily’s hands morphed into fists, and her veil started floating around her without need of wind. She hoped Ann could also see her to show how angry she was. She went to unchain Mia from the table, but her hand went right through Mia’s hand, the chain, and the table. She swiped through it all again, but she was a hologram trying to touch reality.

“Not dreaming…” Lily said to herself. “Astral projection.”

Ann chuckled, and Lily looked up. They stared each other down, silently acknowledging Lily's presence. _Ann knew she was there, too._

She moved her robes, bringing a dagger into full view. Mia fought against the chains, but Ann held her down. “Now, we offer this fallen one to our lord. May it be incentive to bring the Beast, our Antichrist, into full power! Hail Satan!”

The congregation raised their heads up, some with daggers. “HAIL SATAN!”

People soared through Lily’s astral body and hoarded around the altar. Their daggers rose high into the air.

“AHHHH!!!!!!”

The daggers plunged down to the altar. Squishing, spurts, and Mia’s screaming overfilled the entire chamber. It pierced through Lily’s ears, her mind – her soul. Daggers constantly rose and thrust down into Mia’s body. Black liquid oozed from the altar down to the floor, trailing around Lily’s dress. Lily lurched with every stab Mia took, leaving her standing there unable to do anything. Not even tears emerged as her eyes burned at the scene of horror.

Ann’s hands rose up, and everyone backed away from the altar.

Mia rested there, grayer than ever before. Splotches of black overwhelmed her face, skin, and clothes. All that was left of Mia’s chest was the cavity pried open by the daggers, her bones and muscles crushed into a pulp inside. Her eyes glassed over.

Ann hovered her hand over Mia’s body. “By the power of Satan, fall to his kingdom. By the power of our true god, fall to his kingdom where you shall serve. FALL INTO THE PARADISE OF HELL!”

Black smoke enveloped Mia, and the smoke fell down into the floor. More and more smoke rose from the altar and drifted onto the concrete. It fell into the cracks, fading away into nothing. The room turned silent.

Mia’s body disappeared from the altar.

Lily’s knees gave in, and she collapsed onto the floor. Mia was gone, and she begged Lily to save her. She should have done something – _anything_. Maybe her powers of healing could have saved Mia from this horrible fate. She should have tried figuring out where they were so she could go back to her body and call the police. Would the police even do anything since it’s Halloween? Would they have even believed someone who was run over a few days ago would still be alive and being murdered by a Satanic cult? These people had to be part of a cult, not the Satanist covens that are commonly found throughout the city. Ann must be the head of it, killing people and making false promises to keep herself in power and her numbers growing.

But… Ann really did conjure Mia and sacrificed her on the altar. Her body – no, it was her spirit, it had to be – disappeared into the black smoke and was absorbed into the earth. Did Ann really have powers? Ann said Mia was going into hell, but hell doesn’t exist…

Does it?

“As another spirit enters our lord’s paradise, his son the Beast becomes stronger in his conquest of bringing that paradise unto Earth. Long may they reign.”

“LONG MAY THEY REIGN!”

Lily peered over at Simone once again, and she stared back at her. Simone saw and knew the anger in Lily’s eyes, the fury in her squeezed fists, the defeat weighing on her shoulders. But it wasn’t Simone’s fault that this occurred…

“Now,” Ann continued. She peered down at the floor, eyes connecting with Lily’s. “Our lord’s enemies grow more by the day, be on the lookout for them. It could even be a loved one for all you know.”

“Yes, Priestess,” the congregation droned.

“Go now, celebrate our Lord by causing chaos in the world. Give strength to the Whore of Babylon so she can fulfill her destiny in the coming months. _Ave Satani_.”

“ _AVE SATANI!_ ”

Lily started shaking and could only think about being back at Kirana’s. Back with her friends, her sister, with Andrew –

******

Lily’s chest vibrated with her screams as she shot up. Hands quickly pinned her down and covered her mouth.

“Lily, stop, it’s us!” Andrew whispered. Lily gained control of her voice and stopped, her breathing still heavy. “You’re okay. Just breathe,” he told her. A sheet covered her body as the bodice of her dress hung loose over her breasts.

She gazed up next to her, and Raven stroked her hair back. Her blue wig, veil, hair cap, and pins rested in a pile in between them. “You’ve been out for almost an hour,” she said, “what happened?”

“We should have taken her to the hospital,” Andrew snapped.

“Yeah, well, saying that we saw your dead sister grab her spirit causing her to pass out wouldn’t be a good thing to say, now would it?”

Party music erupted from the door, and Thor and Kirana came in with bottles of water. “Thank the Goddess, she’s awake,” Kirana exasperated. Thor handed Raven a water. “Let’s help her sit up.”

Andrew lifted Lily’s back and head and sat behind her. She sunk into Andrew’s chest with ease as she noticed where they were. Lily and Raven’s electric star light adorned just above the window in front of them, glowing as if their mom watched over the room. Kirana always had everyone in the coven leave personal decorations all over the guest room walls so they could feel at home if they needed to crash there, and Lily became more grounded just by the sight of her mother's star. Kirana handed her an open water, and Lily savored the cold trickling down her throat.

“So… Mia grabbing me really happened?” Lily asked.

Andrew sunk back onto the headboard. “It did… I guess spirits really can cross over to here on this night.”

“It makes sense,” Kirana replied. “Lily has her powers, spirits wander the Earth, and there are probably a lot more people like Lily.”

“Powers?” The tone in Andrew’s voice turned skeptical. “What, Lily can heal people or something?”

“Yeah,” Raven told him. “And her powers must be growing if she contacted a spirit who helped her do her first astral projection.”

“Astral projection isn’t a thing that actually happens,” Andrew retorted.

Lily grabbed hold of his leg. “You’re sounding like me, but at least when I actually experience something, I don’t automatically deny it.”

“What?” Andrew wasn’t convinced. “Where did you go then?”

“Mia and I were taken somewhere in the city – I couldn’t tell where. Just a basement that the people flooded with red lights. I woke up in the boiler room, I think. I walked around, and there was a _black mass_ being held right outside the door.”

“Satanists don’t usually summon random spirits to a black mass,” Thor replied.

“I don’t think they were typical Satanists. I think it was a cult – the kind that Christians would really freak out over and automatically think that’s what all us pagans are. Mia was chained onto the altar in front, so I rushed to try freeing her. No one could hear me or see me… except for possibly two people.”

“Who?” Raven asked. "Do you know who they were?"

Lily nodded, “Simone, Damien’s ex-girlfriend, was the first to notice. She was shocked from the looks of it. I tried getting Mia out from the chains, but my hands went right through her hands, chains, and even the altar. That’s when I knew I was astral projecting.”

Raven squeezed Lily’s hand. “Who was the other person who saw you?”

The woman's devilish face stabbed through her mind just like how she stabbed Mia's spirit to shreds. The sinister smile as she gazed down at her gave her butterflies in her stomach. She swallowed down the nerves. “Ann Rutledge… the CEO of Armitage Global, and Damien’s boss. The one who thinks she can control Damien.” She grabbed Andrew’s hand, knowing her words will make his grief worse. “She led the black mass and had everyone stab Mia to death.” Andrew paused, and Lily did her best not to turn back and look at him. “When they finished stabbing, Ann waved her hands over Mia’s body and started chanting for Mia to go into hell. Her body was enveloped and turned into black smoke… and the smoke fell through the floor into nothing.” Andrew squeezed her hand. “I really hope I hallucinated that part because hell is just a construct created by Christians. The realm of the goddess Hella is freezing cold and nothing compared to that.”

“Wait…” Thor paused. “Does Ann think she can control Damien?” Lily nodded. “What if in order to be in the higher powers of the company, you have to be part of the cult?”

“I didn’t see Damien there. He said that a few board members who were friends with his dad asked him to become the Chief of Operations.”

“Ah!” Thor pointed out. “That’s it! Ann didn’t want Damien to be in that position unless he joined, so what if she’s trying to bring him into the cult?” Everyone stared at him. “Think about it. You said Simone was desperately trying to get back together with him, and she’s clearly part of the cult. What if Ann brought Simone into it, made her crazy, and Damien ended up not wanting to deal with that? And now because Ann doesn’t have her bargaining chip, she’s trying to do whatever she can to get Damien into the cult?”

“Uhhh, that’s not good if you're right,” Raven said.

“Why?” Andrew asked.

Raven shut her eyes. “Ann didn’t like Damien going out with Lily the other night. If what Lily saw was the complete truth, and Thor’s theory is correct, then she is a threat to Ann’s plans of getting Damien under her thumb.” Everyone stared at her, waiting for her to explain what’s she saying. With a breath, “Lily is the key to making sure Damien doesn’t get sucked into her cult… She has to keep that date with him, and not only make sure he’s okay, but to see if we’re right.”

“What?!” Lily yelped. “No way! He fucking duped me into that date!”

Raven grabbed onto her arm. “Lily, if Ann Rutledge is a threat to Damien, if she is a threat to souls, we have to stop her before anyone else is at risk.”

Lily shook her head. “I won’t do it.”

“If we don’t stop her, we may not be able to save Mia from whatever twisted hell Ann put her in.”

Lily rested onto Andrew, staring up at him, and guilt started to rise. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save her.”

“I know,” he whispered. He stroked his hand down her arm, not caring that the blue body paint was getting all over his hand. “Go on that date. If Mia really is in hell, we need to get her out. I want to see her when I eventually die.”

Lily gulped. “We’re still going on that date after your certification exam.”

Andrew stroked her hair away from her brow. “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now in this update! Apologies for not having the notes as cheery the last couple of chapters, but the content of those chapters needed to be addressed appropriately. Hopefully, it starts the spark to discuss serious topics that need to be addressed. Whether that be with your friends or somewhere on social media, get the talk going. If we don't talk about the stuff that needs to be said, there will never be a chance for a change of the better! 
> 
> I'm sure if you've been around since I started posting who knows how long ago, I didn't have a for sure end in sight for this story. But thankfully, after outlining the entire story (and finding out I sort of "pants my outline" so to speak), this story will consist of 23 chapters! I don't know what the final word count will be, but my outline was over 70,000 words. So this is gonna be a big one, but I detailed the crap out of my outline so only time can tell how big this will be. I hope to churn out the rest of the story as fast as possible because I hope to work on the next fanfic and even a book series that I hope to publish professionally. But, for all I know, I'm gonna end up in a hole again and it takes another year for me to finish this fic (insert awkward laughter here). 
> 
> Well, let me know what you all think of this so far in the comments below! Everything was self-edited - no critique partners or beta readers. Constructive criticism is much appreciated!
> 
> Keep looking to the stars everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> Bride of the Beast "Soundtrack" Playlist:
> 
> The City - Psycho Soundtrack (Bernard Herrmann)  
> On This Night - The Omen Soundtrack (Jerry Goldsmith)  
> King Porter Stomp - BBC Big Band Orchestra  
> Thriller - Michael Jackson  
> (You're the) Devil in Disguise - Elvis Presley  
> A Sad Message - The Omen Soundtrack (Jerry Goldsmith)  
> Downtown Traffic (Version 2) - Finnolia Sound Effects  
> The New Ambassador - The Omen Soundtrack (Jerry Goldsmith)  
> A Troubled Conversation - My Bloody Valentine 3D Soundtrack (Michael Wandmacher)  
> Mother Me - Black Swan Soundtrack (Clint Mansell)  
> Highway Tune - Greta Van Fleet  
> China Girl - David Bowie  
> Highway to Hell - AC/DC  
> Cadence of My Heart - The Relentless  
> Save a Prayer - The Relentless  
> Let Him Burn - The Relentless  
> We Lose Control - The Relentless  
> Safari Park - The Omen Soundtrack (Jerry Goldsmith)  
> A Doctor, Please - The Omen Soundtrack (Jerry Goldsmith)  
> Hello (Evanescence Piano Cover) - Vitamin Piano Series  
> Thunder With Steady Downpour - Pro Sound Effects Library  
> The Unquiet Grave - from season 2 of Penny Dreadful  
> Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars  
> Healing Katniss - The Hunger Games Soundtrack (James Newton Howard)  
> The Day He Died - The Omen Soundtrack (Jerry Goldsmith)


End file.
